The gift of imperfection

In this episode, I talk about the story of this podcast and how I managed to break free from my paralyzing perfectionism to make this project a reality.

Also, I talk about growth mindset, why it is key to unlocking potential, and how people like Michael Jordan are a clear example of that.

Remember:  progress doesn't come from waiting for perfect circumstances.
It comes from taking that first imperfect step forward ;)

Enjoy!

Music: Through the Woods by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com

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Transcript

Hello and welcome to the Mona Lisa Soul Podcast.

My name is Carolina, and I will be your host in this space created for you and me to discover the principles of greatness together.

This podcast will be full of stories about mastery, determination, and resilience. Stories of people like you and me, which prove that we all have the power to unlock our full potential and go from ordinary to Masterpieces.

The episode of today was inspired by a recent message I got congratulating me on the achievements of this podcast. 

At first, I must admit I was very surprised.

To be honest, these achievements have been beyond my expectations.

And I would like to take the chance to, first of all, thank you for all your support and encouragement. 

This has been of paramount importance for me to keep on going and continue pushing forward.

I can't even put into words how incredible it feels to know that what I have to say is inspiring and resonating with people. 

But, at the same time, I have to admit that if validation had been my main goal, I would have never had the courage to start this project. 

Believe it or not, I had pretty low expectations right from the beginning. 

And it's not because I am a pessimistic person or anything like that.

I know that when you start doing something with passion, results naturally follow.

But here's the thing—the real challenge is to start doing that something,

And starting this podcast was a big challenge for me.  

The idea had been floating around in my head for several years. 

But whenever I was about to begin, I would hear my inner critic literally screaming at me that I wasn't good enough. 

And since this voice is a big fan of perfectionism, I found myself stuck in this never-ending cycle of waiting until I felt "good enough".

I'm sure many of you can relate to that feeling. 

And I am also sure that many of you, deep down, know that progress doesn't come from waiting for perfect circumstances. 

It comes from taking that first imperfect step forward.

So, seeing the achievements of the podcast, got me thinking about how much I owe to that first imperfect step.

And this is why today I decided to start with a quick story about how this podcast adventure began and the transformation I had to undergo to break free from perfectionism. 

Then we will about the growth mindset concept, why this is key for unlocking our potential, and how people like Michael Jordan are a clear example of that.

But before we dive into this, let's start with a story that proves that a journey of a thousand steps begins with a small, imperfect step. 

That story is the story of this podcast.

The seed for this project was planted in 2019 when I discovered my passion for storytelling while visiting a small town with my family in Colombia. 

This town was colorful, sunny, and full of kind people, who on a typical Sunday you could find in the main square drinking coffee and telling stories. 

 I couldn't help but overhear the stories people were sharing

They were funny, creative, dramatic, and engaging. And this quickly got my full attention.

On the way back home, I couldn't stop thinking about the stories.

I was amazed by how these stories transported me to another world, making me feel a whole range of emotions and connecting me deeply with the people around me, even though I didn't know them.

I then realized that storytelling isn't just entertainment; it was a way for us to connect, learn, and share experiences that could last a lifetime.

And at that moment I knew I wanted to develop my own storytelling skills.

But here's the thing: my job at the time was rather technical and didn't require me to be a storyteller.

So, I had to think of another way and I realized that the quickest way to learn the skill was to pick a side project that I would be able to work on during my free time. 

Back then, podcasts were gaining popularity and it hit me— This could be my side project. 

So, fueled by the initial excitement I made a list of topics I could talk about, and started listening to a lot of podcasts for inspiration. 

I wanted to make the podcast in English, so I was consuming a lot of material from native speakers. 

In my mind, I thought this would be a good strategy to expand my vocabulary and learn new expressions.

But unfortunately, that didn't work that well back then.

Because instead of feeling inspired and learning new things, many times I just felt overwhelmed by how much I still needed to improve my English to get to a level that felt good enough for a podcast.

As I mentioned in the previous episode, I had to learn English in a bit of a rushed way when I came to Europe. 

And by 2019, my English was good, but my vocabulary was relatively basic and my strong Latin accent sometimes made it hard for people to understand me. 

This made me quite insecure about my language skills, especially in professional settings.

And I found was most of the time navigating between this strong desire to tell stories and a strong sense of self-doubt that eventually became paralyzing.

Many months went by like that. But one day, I got tired of being stuck. I realized that nothing would change if I didn´t make a move.

And here's the beautiful thing about imperfection: it gives you choices, and those choices lead to learning. 

At that moment, my choice was to shift my focus to becoming "good enough" and this is when the magic happened.

From that point forward, I began embracing every opportunity at work to practice public speaking and surpass my perceived limitations.  

Of course, I was making mistakes all the time, but I learned to let go of the need to be perfect and instead started to praise myself for being courageous. 

For showing up despite the fear, despite my inner critic. 

Bit by bit, my confidence grew. I started to gather evidence that I could do this and then in 2023, I decided to buy myself a microphone and make this podcast a reality. 

It took time, but I got there.

And I know the podcast is not perfect. 

There are way too many things to improve, and of course, I am sometimes afraid of criticism. 

But I know that fear is normal, so I embrace it and go one step at a time.

Also, thanks to this adventure, I have learned to focus on the process. 

And the more I focus on the process, the more I realize that we don't need to be "good enough" to start. 

We just need to be "average enough", take the leap, and make the first step. 

It is through action that we discover our true potential. 

And when we are no longer intimidated by expectations, which sometimes are unrealistic, we are finally free to explore new ideas, learn from our mistakes, and grow in ways we never thought possible.

And speaking of the relationship between mistakes and true potential, it is time to introduce the fascinating concept of the growth mindset.

The more I learn about this, the more I realize that this is a key element of success. And I felt I had to share this with you.

The term "growth mindset" was first coined by psychologist Carol Dweck after years of research into students' attitudes toward failure and learning. 

In essence, this concept is based on the belief that our abilities can be developed and improved with effort, persistence, strategy, and the help of others. 

Also, under this perspective, human potential is not seen as limited by current skills or knowledge but is rather determined by our willingness to work hard and persevere. 

The opposite of this is a "fixed mindset". This concept assumes that intelligence and abilities are innate and cannot be changed much. 

We will go back to that in a bit.

One of the things I find most fascinating about growth mindset is its relationship with challenges and seatbacks.  

People with a growth mindset see challenges as opportunities for growth.

They embrace them, persevere through obstacles, and view failures as opportunities for learning. 

And by focusing on the process of learning rather than just the outcome and are more likely to take risks and try new things. 

They are also more open to feedback and constructive criticism.

Babies are excellent examples of a growth mindset. They are not worried about making mistakes or humiliating themselves. They walk, they fall, and they get back up. 

And while doing so, they are not criticizing themselves for failing but rather learning through experimentation. 

Another great example of a growth mindset is Michael Jordan. As Carol Dweck, would say, Jordan is a prime example of the fact that genetics may determine the starting line, but hard work determines the finish line.

It is well known that Jordan didn't have an easy start. In high school, he tried to join the varsity basketball team but he was initially rejected. And instead of giving up, like most people would, he used it as motivation to work harder and prove himself.

He practiced relentlessly, improving his technique and pushing himself beyond his comfort zone.

Eventually, his hard work paid off, and he made it onto the varsity team the following year.

This experience set the tone for Jordan's entire career. 

He never settled for mediocrity or allowed failures to discourage him. 

Instead, he viewed them as opportunities for growth and learning. 

One example of this is in the early 90s when his team was constantly losing to the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs. 

Instead of getting discouraged, Jordan hit the gym, improved his strength, and developed new strategies to overcome his rivals.

Another remarkable thing about Jordan wasn't afraid of failure. 

Actually, he once famously said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

For Jordan, failure wasn't just accepted; it was expected.

Now, I want to invite you to shift for a moment to the perspective of a fixed mindset. 

As mentioned, this is based on the belief that our skills and talents are something we are born with, and therefore, they are set in stone.

 People with a fixed mindset may avoid challenges or give up easily because they believe that their efforts won't make a difference. 

They may also feel threatened by others' achievements, and see them proof of their own incompetence.

Imagine a baby getting jealous of a horse that can walk just after a few hours after being born.

Or imagine if Jordan had given up after his first rejection. 

In the first case, most likely babies would never learn to walk, and in the second case, the world would have missed one of the best basketball players in history.

As you might have concluded already, developing a growth mindset is a lifelong journey, but the benefits are truly worth it.

A good way to stay is by paying attention to your internal dialogue.

Take a moment to understand whether your thoughts come from a fixed or growth mindset.

Phrases like "What if you fail?" or "I am not good enough" indicate a fixed mindset.

But instead of being hard on yourself for having these thoughts, remember that we all face similar conversations—it's part of the process.

Having self-compassion will also help you realize that you have a choice.

You can choose which mindset to embrace.

Will you let the voice of a fixed mindset hold you back, or will you challenge yourself to grow and learn?

If you choose the latter, replace your narrative with phrases like "I'm not sure if I can do it, but it's worth trying" or "Not trying at all is the real failure."

And then, dive into practice. 

Put yourself in challenging situations. 

School, work, and personal relationships all offer opportunities to face challenges and learn from setbacks.

The path to mastery isn't about waiting for perfect circumstances—it's about taking steps forward, learning from mistakes, and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.

And last but not least, it might be useful to seek out for help.  

Developing a growth mindset requires support from others who can offer encouragement and advice.

So, Consider finding mentors or coaches who can help you navigate challenges, maintain a positive outlook, or gain a different perspective.

BTW, I'm here to support you on your journey to greatness. If you're interested in working with me as your coach, feel free to reach out. Together, we can unlock your true potential.

To close this episode, I want to remind you that life is a grand adventure, and each step we take holds the potential to transform us into the masterpieces we were meant to be.

It's easy to get caught up in seeking validation or being overwhelmed by the fear of imperfection. 

But here's the secret: true greatness lies not in seeking perfection, but in embracing the imperfect, messy, and beautiful process of growth.

Don't forget that growth is possible for each and every one of us, regardless of where we start.

We are just a decision away from that.

Thank you for being a part of this podcast adventure.

I hope you enjoyed this episode, and I hope you found something I said useful.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or feedback, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Don't forget to subscribe for more content.

Until next time.