Why a Good Life is Better Than a Perfect One

The greatest lie I ever told myself was that in order to be successful, my entire life had to be perfect.

I used to chase after this “perfect” life.

For me that meant:

• I was constantly working my body (read: dieting)

• Hustling for my worth with overworking

• Never quite feeling good (even on the days I did feel good).

Because feeling GOOD was definitely not the same as being perfect.

And that dear reader is where my story takes off.

I began to really look at my relationship to the concept of Good vs Perfect.

For a variety of reasons (some cultural, some based on trauma) I thought that by creating a perfect life, I could fight off the tough feelings of loneliness, vulnerability, and sadness.

But by now we all know (and repeat after me) “there is no such thing as perfect” AND “we are meant to feel EVERYTHING.” There are no “good” and “bad” feelings. Our emotions are like guideposts for our souls, letting us know how we are impacted by the world around us and inside of us.

I know this now. But back then (and by back then I mean as recently as a few years ago…) my pursuit of a “perfect” life led me to a very public breakdown — which led me to a breakthrough.

I wanted to create my own Good Life.

A life I loved on my own terms. Not someone else’s version of my life. Not chasing after some ideal of perfection. But I wanted a good ol’ flawed, learning, growing, loved and well-worn life.

And in order to do that, I needed to identify and understand the Dominant Stories I was telling myself about SUCCESS in order to CHANGE them.

I became focused on creating a life based on my highest vision and values — not those dictated by social media, advertising or even some of the people in my life.

I wanted my life to reflect what mattered most to me.

In order to do that — I dug in deep on a journey of healing, self-discovery and a lot (a LOT) of therapy...

With so many of us now coming to a reckoning about what really matters, we're redesigning our lives to reflect that.

This is a big reason why I developed The Good Life workshops and courses.

I even went so far as to design a new line of apparel, journals, and stickers!

Have you had a chance to check it out yet?

Here's The Good Life Shop by JW!

And because I’m leading by my vision and values in this Good Life of mine — I’m dedicating a portion of the proceeds from this store to the MAIA Impact School in Guatemala — the first female, indigenous-led secondary school in Central America that offers a holistic education focused equally on academics, culture and identity, socioemotional development, and family engagement.⁠

This is what it feels like to be aligned with what I believe in w/ work, life, love, and success.

And PS — it feels SO GOOD. :)

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