Present Over Perfect Study Guide: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living

Which are you...striving for perfect, or settled and present?  

You can't be both.   

We’re all pushing for something, for the life we think we want. We strive and strain and orchestrate and negotiate, in hopes of stitching together an existence that satisfies, but in the end, all that forced movement, all that contrived exertion, leaves us writhing in pain, in agony, right inside the reality we ourselves created. The pain shows up in addiction. Or in a string of failed relationships. It shows up in overeating, overdrinking, overspending, overfunctioning, over-everything.

In Present Over Perfect, Shauna Niequist invites us to consider the landscape of our life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present. In this six-week study, you will answer some vital questions:

• Have you become someone you wouldn’t want to be around?
• Are you longing for connection but settling for busy?
• What sacrifices are you making in order to play the role you find yourself playing?
• What “no” do you have to say when you say yes? Is this a wise thing to say no to?
• What has your need for speed cost you along the way?
• What attitudes, expectations, neuroses, habits, and obligations would you have to upend in order to care more purposefully for your soul?

Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection. Discover an entirely new way to live…soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most. 

The study guide includes first thoughts, video notes, group discussion questions, practicing presence reflections, and solo work for you to complete between sessions.  

Sessions include:  

1. Pain Points
2. The Roles We Play
3. Yes, and No
4. Unflashy, Unspectacular, Good
5. Living the Love

Designed for use with the Present Over Perfect Video Study (9780310816034), sold separately.