The key to living an imperfectly authentic life.

Authenticity is not a vector; it is a force that has no outward direction. Authenticity is your relationship with yourself. There is only you and no external object, no one but you to exert the force toward.

Kristina Mand-Lakhiani

Becoming Flawsome is an exquisite read for anyone struggling to come to terms with the fact that they are human. Being human means that they are inherently flawed.

In this book, Kristina holds your hand and helps you overcome self-doubt and perfectionism. She is the perfect person to do this because she’s not just outside looking in, but she has experienced the overwhelming hunger to be more and do more so that she can be “perfect”.

She shares her own personal stories which make us feel less alone. She also sprinkles references to the Harry Potter series throughout the book to drive her point home.

What I love most about this book is how actionable it is. Kristina is not just theorizing on how to overcome self-doubt and practice radical self-acceptance. She provides exercises in every chapter so that you can implement what you just read.

All the exercises are extremely helpful, and I loved completing all of them, but my favourite exercise was the one in the chapter titled, When your Avatars Don’t See Eye to Eye. The whole chapter is about the masks we wear and the different roles we take on in our lives.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot from the personal development industry on how bad it is to wear a mask. That we should always show up as who we are in every single situation. Kristina has an interesting take on this. I think she might just be the first person in the world (as far as I know) who supports putting on a mask. I have heard her in her talks and interviews talking about how it’s actually healthy that when we are at work, we put on the mask of being a boss or an employee and when we get home, we remove that mask and put on the mask of being a mother and/or wife.

This actually makes a lot of sense as working requires you to show up differently than how your kids need you to show up. This is a healthier way of living because imagine what your marriage would be like if you showed up the same way you do at work in it.

Starting to accept your flawsomeness can be daunting and scary. Coming back to yourself after years or decades of trying to disown your imperfections is difficult. You may be scared that removing all the self-hatred or the constant need to prove that you are enough will leave you lazy and unmotivated. That is just fear speaking, you are not lazy nor dumb. You have a lot of energy, you are curious, and you actually love learning because you are human.

The journey back to myself:

After crying myself to sleep for months on end I knew something had to change. I then invested all my time in getting to know myself and my place in the world. That is how the shiny world of productivity and self-development railed me in. I ate and breathed pomodoras, exercising, calendar blocking, and any productivity tip you’ve heard on the internet I have tried it.

I then graduated to the world of self-love and self-care. I have probably watched more than 80% of YouTube videos on self-love. I thought that I was an expert on the topic at this point.

Fast forward to 2023, and something felt off with me. I couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t happy despite getting the things I have been chasing my whole life. After a lot of journalling and crying on my floor, I realized that I was still a perfectionist. Nothing I did or said was ever good enough for me.

With that information I embarked on a journey to radical self-acceptance. Which is a journey that I’m still on.

You will do the world a great favour if you prioritize your own happiness. 

— Kristina Mand-Lakhiani

Are you ready to prioritize your own happiness?

If so, Kristina encourages you to meet yourself with kindness and compassion. She walks you on how to do that in her book. She also teaches you about self-worth, authenticity, radical self-acceptance, letting go of perfectionism and tools for more self-awareness.

She provides guidance and exercises to implement what you are reading. She makes you feel like you are in this journey together because you are.

You are wonderful and you deserve to be happy and to have a good time in this life. I hope you realize that.

About The Author:

Besides being the author of one of my favourite books. Kristina Mand-Lakhiani is an entrepreneur, speaker, philanthropist as well as a mother. She is the co-founder of MindValley, a global school that delivers transformational education for all ages.

She is all about creating an extraordinary life by making authenticity the heart of your being and has been on the personal development journey for over eighteen years.

Throughout her career, she has changed the lives of many people all over the globe by providing them with wisdom and she can do the same for you.Throughout her career, she has changed the lives of many people all over the globe by providing them with wisdom and she can do the same for you.

Get the Book For Free!!!!!

For a limited time, only Kristina is offering her book for free and you just have to pay for shipping.

Now would be such great time to grab yourself a copy for free. You can get it here

Happy reading! Embrace the journey back to yourself, it’s a worthwhile one.

This article was first published on Medium.