Ditch the Cookie Cutters

It’s Time to Celebrate Our Perfectly Imperfect Lives

Kim Sutton
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

Friend, if you could see me this morning, you would laugh. I know I could easily take a photo and share it here, but I want you to use your imagination. (Plus, cough cough, I don’t need pictures like that floating around online.)

My hair is a wild mess, which I’m trying to contain with hair ties and headbands belonging to my daughters, my tank top is inside out, and my yoga pants just received a banana stamp of approval from my son.

It’s another normal morning in the Sutton house.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Because it’s time we all ditch the cookie cutters. It’s time we stop pretending our morning, evening and, well, all-day routines are perfectly polished and run without a hitch. It’s time to stop pretending we wake up in the morning with a perfectly made-up face and hair, and our clothes are impeccable. It’s time to celebrate our perfectly imperfect lives — the perfect lives for US.

I should have ditched the cookie cutters years ago, however as recent as a year ago I was trying to force myself and my business into a mold that I clearly didn’t fit in. I thought that by forcing myself though, I would come out on the other side with a series of products and services that would make me millions and a ginormous follower base.

I failed to recognize, however, that the cookie cutter was already at max capacity with the original cookie.

A dear friend told me, “You’re Kim, not (insert name here).”

All of a sudden the clouds parted and the light shone brightly down on my stubborn head.

Nights spent in the kitchen (aka office) trying to bake up products which weren’t even my flavor were ridiculous. Weeks with barely any sleep attempting to duplicate influencers’ recipes were stupid. Rather than achieving success, I managed to bake up a huge dose of frustration and anxiety.

If I were to design my cookie cutter, I can tell you it would be mysteriously misshapen and hilarious to look at. You would see lightbulbs coming out of my head, wired by whatever crazy mom hairstyle I was sporting for the day. I would have 15 arms trying to do a variety of tasks at one (I know, tsk tsk for multi-tasking), and the strange profile of my attire would be the bathrobe I sport, even when it’s 80 degrees outside. (What can I say? I am freezing all year-round and my bathrobe is comfy!)

Am I suitable for drop-in visitors during business hours? Most days… Heck, no! But does my less than professional attire hinder my ability to be awesome at what I do? Heck, no to that too!

It’s time to ditch the cookie cutters and be proud of who we are, no matter what we’re wearing, where we live or how many kids we have. Celebrate who you are, and when people try to fill your cookie cutter, smile, wish them luck and remember there is only one you.

Thrive Global

More than living. Thriving.

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Kim Sutton

Written by

Positive Productivity Coach, Strategist & Podcast Host | Mom of 5, Wife to Mr. Amazing | Chat with me at http://www.thekimsutton.com!

Thrive Global

More than living. Thriving.

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