Rewriting the Contract: A New Relationship with Your Inner Perfectionist
Week 2 (Healing): Discern the voice, soften the push, and choose new terms.
In Week 2 of our Parts Project Perfectionist series, we move beyond awareness and into healing: learning how to discern the voice of perfectionism, soften the internal push, and renegotiate the rules you’ve been living under. Renae and Laura explore how perfectionism often operates through inherited “contracts” (rules, timelines, expectations, performance standards) and how healing begins when you reclaim agency, autonomy, and compassion—without giving up your growth.
In this episode, we explore:
- How to test the voice: Is this expectation mine, someone else’s, or old survival?
- The shift from perfection → practice (and why practice builds safety)
- “Rewriting the contract”: negotiating new terms with your inner Perfectionist
- Why autonomy matters: you get to decide what gets to run your life
- Low-stakes experiments: learning to “try” without needing guaranteed outcomes
- Tools that interrupt the spiral: scripts, mantras, and grounding cues
- A gentle reminder: you don’t have to be “ready” to begin—start where you are
Listener Practice (Week 2: Healing)
Try this in 2–3 minutes:
- Discern the voice: “This push sounds like ______.”
- Name the cost: “When I obey it, it costs me ______.”
- Choose new terms: “A kinder, truer term I want to live by is ______.”
- Practice (not perfect): “My low-stakes experiment this week is ______.”
Resources
📘 21-Day Perfectionist Journey Companion Workbook: https://renaemdupuis.com/product/the-21-day-perfectionist-journey-companion-workbook/
🗓 Restoration Sessions (free + 48-hour replay window): https://renaemdupuis.com/restoration-sessions/
🌿 The Pause Membership (preferred ongoing support + access to Restoration Sessions editions while you’re a member): https://renaemdupuis.com/the-pause-membership/
🧩 Free Micro-Journey (Week 2: Healing) - https://renaemdupuis.com/product/perfectionist-micro-journey-2-healing/