Breaking Up with Perfect: Kiss Perfection Good-Bye and Embrace the Joy God Has in Store for You Book Review and Giveaway

Perfectionists rejoice.  Help has come for those of us who rearrange the dishwasher after it has already been loaded or those of us who add items to our to-do list after they have been done just to cross them off.  You will love this book if you have ever tried to fix something that wasn’t really broken or put your tasks before people and relationships.

But I don’t know anybody like that…okay, maybe I do.

In Breaking up with Perfect:  Kiss Perfection Good-Bye and Embrace the Joy God Has in Store for You, by Amy Carroll, I found a treasure trove of chapters that hit the nail on the head for me.  She gets right to the heart of what it is like to attempt to live a perfect life, which is impossible because NOBODY IS PERFECT.  There is only one who is:  God.

Amy breaks down perfectionists into two categories:  “Good Girls” and “Not Enough Girls.”  She defines “Good Girls” as those who strive to follow all the rules and seek the praise and approval for doing so.  She defines “Not Enough Girls” as those who work and work to push past wounds from the past.  Both of those “syndromes” keep us from really living the life we are supposed to and finding true joy in God, our creator, the one who provides our needs and so intricately designed us in our imperfectness.  I absolutely loved her analogy of “breaking up” with perfect like we would an actual relationship.  This quote  by Amy sums up what it is like to run this perfection race:

“What looked like love begins to be a burden, and as the initial infatuation wears off, the relationship begins to grate on us.  It wasn’t what we thought or hoped for at all.  Finally, we start to realize that what seemed so wonderful is actually destructive.”

The copy of the book I just read is very colorful right now, as I have underlined and highlighted on almost every page.  Despite everything I learned about letting go of perfectionism, it all comes down to this:  No matter how hard we try to be perfect, orchestrate perfect, or see perfect, it is Christ in us who is “beginning a good work in us that will be carried on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  This life-changing verse is found in Philippians 1:6.  I absolutely love how Amy weaves and connects stories of the Bible into the lies and truths of perfection, found at the beginning of each chapter.

Finally, Amy is authentic and real.  She doesn’t hold back in this book.  I love that she is passionate about helping others to understand that living the perfect life is impossible, exhausting, and destructive.  I encourage any church, women’s group, Bible study, or book club to grab a copy of this book and go through Amy’s “Transformation Points” at the end of each chapter.  She also offers a “Going Deeper” section for further study and discussion at the end of the book.  Speaking of book clubs, she has one that begins this Monday, August 1, and you can learn more about it on her blog here.  I realize that it begins shortly (and that I’m just now writing the review and giveaway), but even if you are not interested in the club, definitely check out her blog and resources.

I can assure you that I will re-read this book in the future and revisit key points that I have highlighted.  It has impacted me in a major way.  One of my favorite parts of the book is her list of 50 ways to begin letting go of perfect.  I think I’ll start with not making my bed today…perhaps I’ll even jump on it! (#40).

Giveaway

Hopefully my review has sparked your interest in this book.  Believe me, you need this book, especially if you wrestle with perfectionism!  Lucky for one of you, I’m doing a giveaway for one free copy of Breaking Up with Perfect:  Kiss Perfection Good-Bye and Embrace the Joy God Has in Store for You!  To enter, leave a comment on my blog or on my Facebook post with this review and giveaway.  Also, you can “like” the post on Facebook with this review and giveaway for an extra entry.  The contest will run until Wednesday, August 3, 2016 at midnight.  I will contact the winner on Thursday, August 4, 2016.