Perfectly Yourself

"The first step toward becoming perfectly yourself is acknowledging your imperfections(pg. 5)."

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be: Uplifting.

This is a book that I originally saw sitting on the bookshelf at a friend's house. As I scrolled through the book & took a quick glance at the contents, I was immediately drawn to it. I am a sucker for self-help books. I love practical, straight-forward advice that directs you towards becoming a better version of yourself. What can I say?!

As soon as I left my friend's house and returned home, I quickly went to my handy-dandy Amazon app, searched for the book, and after a few short clicks, Perfectly Yourself was to be arriving at my doorstep in just two days...ahh..the beauty of Amazon Prime. <3





-I love how the author(Mathew Kelly or as I refer to him: M.K.) ties in Christianity with this book:

• He talks about how we are all trying to reach certain potentials/goals/dreams, but the true reason for these longings is a desire to be with God.

• An emphasis is placed on the fact that we are really trying to fill a void that only God can fill. 

• He quotes the Bible a lot throughout the book which I love. He ties his thoughts to various Biblical concepts. 

-He talks about the different perspectives we should compare before trying to change ourselves... What are our motives?

• Are we seeking what the world {mostly} encourages us to do by searching for whatever it is that we want(& makes us feel good), despite the consequences?

• ..Or, are we seeking to look after our best interest: That is, seeking what we need & learning from the process instead of always focusing on the end goal & how we feel when we have reached it?

• M.K. states that if we truly want to improve our lives, then we need to switch the focus off of money, celebrity, and talent and onto character and virtue.

-M. K. compares two key concepts in how we view ourselves:

• True self, which speaks for character, and finds its identity in all things that are good, true, beautiful, and noble.

• False self, which speaks for ego, and is constantly making demands based on insecurity.

-One of my favorite concepts of the book:

• The importance of respecting ourselves and our unique capabilities/attributes.

• M. K. states that God puts us here on earth to be the best versions of ourselves..& how the situations and circumstances we face are just opportunities to live out this purpose. 

-Why Worry?

• Mathew Kelly mentions how important it is to not worry, because worrying does not enable us to have any more control than we desire.

• As he states, "Situations that make us nervous or uncomfortable and circumstances that are heartbreaking are an inevitable part of the human experience. We must find a way to maintain our inner peace even in the midst of these times."

-The organization of the chapters are very helpful:

• He breaks the chapters up into subsections of small concepts, that make his insights easy to understand.

• At the end of each chapter, Mathew Kelly sums up what he discussed in a section called "The (insert chapter number here) Lesson," and addresses the main points from the chapter, which is really nice because it solidifies and helps to connect all of the details.

• Proceeding this is a section that helps you integrate the concept from the lesson into your daily life, called "Applying the (insert chapter number here) Lesson". Here he lists I will statements for the reader to implement in his/her life.

-Mathew Kelly's content truly reflects the title of his book:

• He emphasizes the importance of realizing how some of those imperfections we are obsessed with changing are actually a part of our perfection.

• As he says, "Being perfectly yourself means being perfectly imperfect."

~~~                                                                                                          

Perfectly Yourself is an excellent tool in helping you realize that you are beautiful, simply because you are uniquely yourself-flaws and all!

Mathew Kelly does a great job with summarizing all of the key struggles that keep you from loving yourself the way you ought-the way that God wants you to. I highly recommend this book for anyone in need of a little boost in self-love from someone with real, sound advice.             

...With all of that being said, I will leave you all with my favorite excerpt from the book... 

"The hunger we feel is really a desire for connection and union with God. It also manifests as a desire to be more perfectly yourself, because every step forward toward the best version of yourself is a step toward God."

~Adele~






P.S.--
Another book Mathew Kelly has written that I plan to read soon: