Stop Pretending You're Perfect: Discover Your True Self and Release the Perfectionist

Take off your mask.

I was reading The Purpose Driven Life and came across this brilliant quote by Rick Warren:

So take off your mask, stop pretending you're perfect, and walk into freedom.

I don't know about you, but that hit me really hard. How many of us walk around as if we are all put together, that we are balanced, and that we don't have weaknesses, and if we do, we do everything in our control and willpower to hid them. Well I hate to be the downer, but you're not perfect and never will be on planet Earth (or Mars or the Moon).

Perfectionism is HUGE in our society. We live in a world where the pressure to be flawless is overwhelming. Social media, advertising, and even well-meaning friends often make us feel like we have to meet impossible standards. The problem is, when we feel like we have to hide our imperfections, we also hide parts of ourselves that could lead to true growth, connection, and peace.

So, what would it look like to take off that mask? To stop pretending that we have it all together, to stop pretending we're perfect, and to just embrace who we are—imperfections and all?

The reality is, we often keep this mask on because of fear. Fear that if people saw the real us, they wouldn't love us or accept us. But here's the truth: nobody is perfect. Not a single person on this planet is without flaws or mistakes. And it's in our imperfections that God’s grace shines the brightest. It’s in our weaknesses that we experience His strength. We don’t have to be perfect because He already is.

When we surrender to God and embrace our true selves, free from the pressure of perfectionism, we are finally able to let go of anxiety and worry. The need to perform or measure up fades, and we can just rest in the fact that God loves us as we are. Not only does He accept us with all our flaws, but He uses those very flaws to shape us into who He wants us to be.

The way to release that pressure and anxiety is through allowing our emotions and feelings to be there. Let them sit, state them aloud, and don't resist them, but rather embrace them. And then, turn your thinking to something positive and TRUE. When we don't resist, we release control which releases the feelings' power over you which allows you to choose to think better thoughts. I recommend replacing those negative, perfectionistic thoughts with His word. Learn and memorize verses so you can use those to combat negative thinking throughout your day. One of my favorites that helps me realize how blessed and powerful I am through Him is Psalm 139:14:

I praise [Him], for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;

wonderful are your works!

My very self you know.

This kind of freedom is impossible to find in the world’s standards. It doesn’t come from striving, working harder, or controlling every aspect of our lives. It comes from surrender. When we allow God to lead us, when we stop pretending and just let go of the burden of perfection, that’s when we start to experience the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Only when we surrender to God’s plan and accept that we are already loved and accepted can we truly walk in freedom. It's then that we can take off our mask, let go of the need to prove ourselves, and live the life He has intended for us. This is freedom from anxiety, freedom from worry, and freedom to be authentically, unapologetically, you.

The message is simple: You don’t have to be perfect, because you aren't. You are loved just as you are, and that love comes from the only one who truly matters—God. When you embrace this truth, you’ll find the freedom to live without the weight of perfectionism holding you back. So take off your mask today, walk into His grace, and be free.

Let's rise.

xx

Nani

I use the USCCB Bible when referencing Scripture.