Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist is written as a series of essays, which don’t necessarily flow neatly in chronological order. Rather, the essays are a series of snapshots of her life over some time, where she came to a deeper understanding of herself and her motivation.
While I enjoyed the book, it wasn’t what I expected because the title isn’t an accurate description of the contents. Although it is the title of one of the essays, and Brene Brown gives a great example of being present over perfect in the foreword. Nevertheless, the book is about how Shauna overcomes low self-esteem by accepting God’s unconditional love and his perspective on her worth. Jesus laying down his life for us shows how much God loves and values us.
Shauna describes how she became physically, emotionally and spiritually run down because she was driven by the need to perform and sought to gain approval from what she did, rather than who she was. Through the book, she explains the strategies that were helpful to her.
The essays are well-written, personal and written with honesty and vulnerability.
Overall, an insightful look into the dangers of using our achievements to overcome feelings of unworthiness.
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