BE FLAWED

Do you think the world is flawless, or yourself? (standing) Or have you met anyone who is
truly perfect?(eye contact) A flawless son/daughter, a perfect student or partner and an
impeccable human being? (waiting a bit) Actually, it is impossible to be perfect, right? (nodding)
The number of people experiencing perfectionism is rising dramatically, especially among the
young. (elini havaya kaldır) Data on 40,000 college students in the UK, U.S., and Canada from 1989
to 2016 shows that perfectionism is on the rise, and may be to blame for increasing rates of anxiety
and depression among young people. (showing 4 with hand, from 1989 derken eli yan tutarak avuç
dışa bakar şekilde kesme gibi işaret yap, rise kısmında elini kaldır) Because the world puts a ton of
pressure on us to be perfect. (elini kendine tut, göğsüne) We’re made to feel as if there’s something
wrong with us if we’re still single by a certain age, don’t make a certain amount of money, don’t
have a good looking, or don’t get a perfect grade. (parmaklarınla sayar gibi) In the midst of all that
pressure, it’s easy to forget all the great, unique things about ourselves. (elini salla (all) darken,
göğsüne koy) I know the journey of perfectionism far too well, since my own perfectionistic
motivations creep up on me. (nodding) They come into play most when I’m making a decision,
studying on a project or interacting with someone. (kafanı bir sağa bir sola yatır) So, if I had chance
to change one thing in my life, it would be my persistency on being perfect in everything, or in this
world, I would change the imposed faultlessness. (parmağınla 1 yap, everything darken elinle
yuvarlark yap, world derken parmağınla yeri göster) In this speech, I try to give some influence who
feels the same thing as me or as others in the world that it is okay to be imperfect or flawed. (me
derken kendini, others derken elini aç yan şekilde)

If you ask me how the topic concerns me, I can say too much. (kendini göster) For as long as
I remember, I have been trying to be the best version of me in everything I touch. (walking) I
cannot clean superficially; I want it to be truly perfect. (kafanı hayır gibi salla) I try to take the full
responsibility in group projects so that I can do as excellent as I want. (kafanı aşağı salla) If I study
an examination, I sleep only 3 hours approximately, because I try to get it thoroughly.
(parmaklarınla 3 yap) Often, our focus for perfectionism is not on ourselves, but on others in our
lives. (elinle diğerlerini gösterir gibi yap) I noticed that I wait unfairly and with impossibly high
expectations from my loved ones not to fail but to be perfect. (utanır gibi ifadeyle nodding) But it
diminishes our self-esteem and enjoyment of life, as it can lead to immense stress, fear of
judgement and worries of inadequacy. (avuc için yere bakarcasına aşağı indir, iki elini de kulan her
bir tamlamada) You may find that making mistakes is unacceptable. (kafanı iki yana hayır der gibi
hızla salla) Thus, you may be excessively critical of yourself when inevitably mistakes are made.
(eye contacting) Often, under the manner of perfection is in a need to be liked, accepted and
valued. (iki elinle top tutar gibi) All leads to stress which often shows up as muscle aches,
headaches, low energy, and anxiety and depression. (topu ilerletir gibi, muscle aches –omuzlarını
tut, başını tut, low energy—üzülerek vücudunu sal) As you continue to strive to achieve more often
results in missed opportunities for pleasure and enjoyment due to the overwhelming fear of not
getting enough done. (kafanı hayır der gibi salla) As an example here, I got migraine because of
trying to meet the expectations as I will get a perfect college . (elini göğsüne bastır) I consistently
have red dots on my skin because of excessive stress level due to the fear I will make a mistake or
be a low-achiever. ( yüzünü, boynunu tut red dots derken, üzül) And my relationships get affected by
my manner that I want everyone to be flawless around me unfortunately. (kafanı salla iki yana )
But I am aware this is not okay, the thing that is okay is being imperfect. (parmağını yere tut ve
avcunu yukarı aç) Overcoming perfectionism demands accepting yourself as a flawed human being.
(kendini göster) It’s okay to be thorough in what you do, but don’t try to be perfect. (iki elini yukarı
aç) Try to let go of whatever it is that’s holding you back from accepting who you are. (let go
derken omzunu silk, elinle git işareti yap)

According to a Japanese art of Kintsugi, broken objects are often repaired with gold and
the flaw is seen as a unique piece of the object’s history, which adds to its beauty. (standing, add
derken elini kaldırıp yana çek) I now wanna show what this art is. (tabağı göster) In history,
Japanese approaches the broken ceramics shouldn’t simply be neglected or thrown away, these
irregular lines are not seen as flaws but as a beauty element. (kırıkları göster) Kintsugi is related to
the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi which emphasizes the importance of imperfections in our
lives. (tek elinle top tuar gibi) So it can be applied to life as well. (Kafanı eğ) We can see that
Kintsugi is not about hiding or covering up the damage, it's about accepting it and moving on.
(önce avcunu yere hizala, sonra yukarı aç ve hareket ettir öne doğru) It is about finding the beauty in
life’s fragility and learning to appreciate it. (kelimeye vurgu verirken başını iyice kaldır) They believe
that beauty can be found in imperfections. (in derken elini yarı açık şekilde yeri göster) Kintsugi
teaches us to celebrate imperfections and that a human beings, imperfections are inevitable,
whether in appearance, character or actions. (isimleri sayarken parmağınla say) Learning to accept
our flaws is a process that will lead to a deeper sense of peace and fulfilment. (mutluluk dolu ol)

So, perfectionism when healthy, can be self-motivating and drive you to overcome
adversity and achieve success. (kelimeyi büyütürcesine elinle yumruk yap) When unhealthy, it can be
a fast and enduring track to unhappiness.(mutsuz ol) It can lead psychological or physical problems.
(üzül) So how to deal with?(kafanı sorarcasına iki yana sallla) You can start by focusing on the
positive things like Kintsugi, that you are okay with your imperfections. (gülümse) Get rid of the
fear of making mistakes, rather, allow yourself to make mistakes, that’s not the end of the world
when we fail. (omzunu yukarı çek, avuçları yukarı bakarcasına aç) They are the opportunities to
learn and grow better. (elini kapat parmaklarını birleştirircesine) Perfectionists can find it difficult to
let go of control, so they don’t want to hand over work for fear that it will be not done properly.
(elini uzatır gibi yap) At that point, learn to enjoy handing over tasks and get relieved of the
decision-making burden. (parmağınla yeri göster, tişörtünü silker gibi yap) You cannot be in many
places at once with full excellence. (kafa sallla) Unhelpful thinking with “shoulds and musts” just
disappoints you and makes you feel uncomfortable. (parmaklarınla tırnak işareti yap) Just forgive
yourself. (başınla destekle)

One of the biggest pushes towards perfectionism is the need to always “get it right”. (1
yap) Increasingly, young people hold irrational ideals for themselves that manifests unrealistic
expectations for academic and professional achievement, how they should look and what they
should own in a relationship. (elini yukarı kaldır, hold derken elini sık, unrealistic sonrasında ellerini
oynat, look’ta üstünü göster) So, we strive for perfection and huge successes, and once we fail, we
feel worthless. (yumruk yap, parmağınla yeri göster) But realize, the accomplishments are within
the imperfections. (omuzlarını başına çek) The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and
become a fearless human being is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly- indeed to embrace
uncertainty and imperfection. (kafanı öne çıkar, salla aşağı yukarı, ellerini yumruk yaparak kendine
çek) In a world of imperfections, it’s okay to be imperfect. (avuçlarını aç) Just don’t be afraid, be
flawed. (sabit tur)