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Perfectionism: The Sneaky Thief of Joy and Peace! · Inspired Edge: From Fear to Faith-Filled Living

• 0:00
  Foreign.
• 0:07
  Welcome to Inspired Edge.
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  From Fear to Faith Filled Living.
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  I'm just so glad you're here today.
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  I'm Chuck Keller, Christian Life Coach who helps men and women just like you overcome fear and live with clarity, confidence and purpose, all grounded in the truth of God's word.
• 0:26
  In this podcast, it's a quiet place to breathe deep, reflect, and gently realign with the life God is calling you to.
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  Especially when you're feeling stuck, weary, or weighed down by expectations you were never meant to carry.
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  Today I want to talk to the part of you that feels like you have to get it just right.
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  That inner voice that tells you you should have done better.
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  Or what will they think?
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  That part that feels like if you could only be perfect, everything would finally be okay.
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  Yeah, that one.
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  Let's have an honest conversation today about perfectionism, where it hides what it costs and what God offers us instead.
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  So let me ask you this.
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  You hear the word perfectionist?
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  Who do you think of?
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  Maybe it's someone you knew in school, always organized, always ahead, showing up to class with every assignment done early and done flawlessly.
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  Their outfit was on point, their notes color coded, their face clear and not a hair out of place.
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  And while it may have looked like they had it all together with we rarely saw the pressure, the anxiety, the silent battle behind the scenes, the long hours, the fear of failure, the striving, the stress.
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  Maybe that person was you.
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  You see, perfectionism doesn't always wear a name tag.
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  Sometimes it just quietly runs in the background, convincing us that our worth is tied to our performance, that we must always get it right, and that failure is not an option.
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  But the hard truth of perfectionism doesn't tell you that it robs us of joy.
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  It's exhausting.
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  It's isolating.
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  And spiritually speaking, it puts the weight of success and approval squarely on our own shoulders, as if we can earn peace, earn love, earn God's favorite.
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  But thanks be to God, we don't have to.
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  Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
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  But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
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  Let that sink in for a moment.
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  God's power is made perfect not in your strengths, but in your weakness.
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  That pressure to be flawless.
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  He lifts it.
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  That burden to prove yourself.
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  He carries it.
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  That lie that you have to be more, do more, look better, act better.
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  He silences it.
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  You don't have to be perfect to be used by God.
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  You just have to be willing to lean on his perfection instead of your own.
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  And yet perfectionism still sneaks in.
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  It can look holy, like excellence or discipline, but more often it's rooted in fear.
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  Fear of not being enough, fear of rejection.
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  Fear of failure.
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  So how do you know if perfectionism is affecting your life and faith?
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  Let me ask you a few questions.
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  Don't overthink your answers.
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  Just be honest.
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  Do you struggle to finish tasks because you feel like they're never quite good enough?
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  Do you set impossible standards for yourself or others and feel disappointed when they're not met?
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  Do compliments make you feel uncomfortable?
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  Do you ever find yourself replaying conversations or decisions, wondering what you could have done better?
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  Do you hold tightly to others mistakes or your own long after they've happened?
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  Do you put off trying new things because you're afraid that you'll mess up?
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  Do you find your sense of worth tied to your performance or appearance?
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  If you have found yourself nodding yes to several of these, take heart.
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  You're not alone and you're not broken.
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  You're simply human.
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  A deeply loved, holy, imperfect person being invited into Grace Friend, I want you to hear this clearly.
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  Only God is perfect.
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  And the good news he never asks you to be.
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  He asks you to trust him.
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  Ephesians 2:10 says that we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.
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  Not perfect works.
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  Just good ones, faithful ones, purposeful ones.
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  You were handcrafted by a perfect God not so that you could impress the world, but so that you could reflect his goodness even through your imperfectionisms.
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  Perfectionism says, try harder.
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  Grace says, come to me.
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  Perfectionism says you're not enough.
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  God says, my grace is sufficient for you.
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  So what does embracing imperfection actually look like?
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  It might mean finishing the project and letting it be good enough.
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  It might mean saying thank you when someone compliments your work without deflecting or downplaying.
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  It might mean letting go of the fear of failure and stepping out in faith, trying that new thing, even if it's messy.
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  It might mean forgiving yourself for what you did or didn't do and trusting God with the outcome.
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  That's where real freedom lives.
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  That's where joy grows.
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  Let me leave you with a few questions to reflect on this week.
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  Maybe write them in your journal or talk them out with a friend who loves you and loves Jesus.
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  Think about what areas of your life are you noticing perfectionism creeping in?
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  How might that be stealing your peace, your joy, or your sense of closeness with God?
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  And think about what does embracing imperfection mean?
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  Looked like you practically personally this week Friend, if this conversation is stirring something in you, if you're realizing that perfectionism has been holding you back from living fully and faithfully, I want to invite you to take the next
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  step.
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  I've created a free resource just for you called the five Life Keys, a Faith based framework for breaking free from Burnout and Fear Based Living.
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  Inside this guide, I walk through the five areas that help you move from fear driven thinking to faith filled living, Clarity, Confidence, Focus, Faith and purpose.
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  You can download it for free using the link in the show notes or visit info.inspiredgecoaching.com/framework.
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  It's a simple framework, but it can be help you begin seeing where God may be inviting you to grow and move forward.
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  Or if you'd rather talk it through, I'd love to invite you to book a free Discovery call with me.
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  No pressure, just a conversation to explore how coaching could support you in stepping into the life God's calling you to with clarity, confidence and a lot more freedom.
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  Friend, you were never meant to carry the weight of perfection.
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  You were made to walk in grace.
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  Let's keep walking that out together until next time.
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  Take a deep breath, release the pressure and rest in his enoughness.
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  You are deeply loved right where you are.
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  Thanks for spending a few minutes with me today.
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  Keep leaning into faith, not fear and I'll talk to you soon.