Be Flawsome!

I came across this post on LinkedIn a few days back and it just brought a big smile to my face. We are all fallible human beings and we live in a world of flaws. And yet ironically, most of us (including myself!) place a high value on perfection.

Why chase a facade of unattainable perfection? When you learn to accept your flaws, you’re not vulnerable to people’s judgements or opinions towards you. You embrace the fact that you’re a human, you’re still learning and you’ve got a long way to go. When you accept your flaws, you learn how to be happy with who you are.

Embracing flaws, kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. By highlighting cracks and holes instead of hiding them or throwing away the object, a damaged ceramic vessel becomes useful again and even an expression of luxury with its illuminated seams.

The kintsugi approach instead makes the most of what already is, highlights the beauty of what we do have, flaws and all, rather than leaving us eternally grasping for more, different, other, better.

Another lovely Japanese concept Wabi Sabi, is about celebrating imperfections and living simply. In Japanese, wabi means alone and sabi is the passage of time. Together, they teach us how to embrace the good and bad parts of ourselves and the asymmetry of life.

Let’s be Flawsome, the new awesome, with Wabi Sabi and Kintsugi! 🙂