Papercuts

The Art of Self-Delusion

By: Brent Perkins

Narrated by: Brent Perkins

Length: 5 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Each of us sees the world as we are, not as it actually is.

When we step into curiosity, we find we have a choice to see the world through other people’s eyes. To imagine what their experiences are, even though we cannot know them directly. From here, we can begin to understand and utilize our agency. The power we hold over interpreting our day-to-day experiences and the stories we end up telling ourselves about them, i.e., "our truths." Too often, this leads to selling ourselves short, or worse, selling ourselves out, resulting in death by a thousand papercuts.

Papercuts unfolds the layers within us, exposing the wounds and scars we have been too afraid to confront—leading to a fearless journey of self-discovery.

What can expect on this journey?

• Rediscover your agency
• Owning and exercising the power of choice
• Understand where/when we play the victim game
• The difference between Comfort zones vs. Fear zones
• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
• Cutting ties to co-dependencies (detaching)
• Finding gratitude for the moments we were jerks
• The power of letting go and showing up in surrender
• Get out of our own way to let magic happen
• Unravelling meaning and finding life's purpose
• Want to help others? Help yourself first
• Empowering yourself through self-control

Distinctly Unique in the non-prescriptive yet intimate style it is written in—Papercuts is a wonderful illustration of how leadership starts from the inside out. It gives permission for us to walk down a path of empowerment and transformation, starting with choice and leading to freedom.

In the end, we find life is beckoning us to stop chasing, to stop doing, and encouraging us to start being—courageous, authentic and wild. This is your life, and only you can decide to live bold!

©2023 Brent Perkins (P)2023 Brent Perkins

Critic reviews

"An unexpected gift to the business world as well as anyone who is looking to grow personally. The vulnerability that anchors this story is accompanied by a masterful blend of psychology, philosophy and spirituality." (Diana Owens, LCSW, Author, Transformational Coach)

It’s like hanging out with a friend- who doesn’t bullsh*t you

I read both the hardback and listened to the audible version simultaneously. Reading this book is like having a conversation with that one friend who doesn't hold back...and you love them for it.

Forget the usual recipe step-by-step instructions for how to "make a change" or "self-improvement" books you typically read. I felt like I was sitting down, having a cup of coffee with a friend who listened but gave me some hard truths on why I was reacting to certain things in my typical judgmental way.

It was written in conversational style, as if the author was speaking to you, with some parts written in a fictional way (although they are real stories) about conversations or experiences he has had in life that led to his "ah-ha" moments. In fact, there are parts where you are given an instruction (I do not want to give it away) and you stop and perform said instruction...which had an impact!

You can get a sense of the author's personality, humor, and wisdom throughout the book with it packaged in a way as if you were sitting down, drinking a cup of coffee over it all. It truly made me reflect on some aspects on my life.

I highly recommend this book and especially the audible version, as the author reads it with some character.

I look forward to the deeper dive writing of the future versions or the continuation of the series as that is probably my only suggestion for improvement: that some concepts were only touched on the surface, and I wanted to go further/deeper.

Looking forward to the next ones. Enjoy!

Great listen!

I appreciate the way Brent takes us on a journey through parts of his life. Undoubtedly you will find pieces that tangentially align with stories from most anyone’s. He shares some unique ways to look at situations and self reflect. One I will certainly add to the repeat listen list, as there will be nuggets that continue to challenge my growth and add value to any stage in my own personal journey. Thanks Brent for bringing this to the world!

A Must Listen for Anyone Interested in Personal Growth

Once I started this book, I couldn’t stop listening and I finished it in a day! I love it when the author is also the narrator to the audiobook. Brent’s stories are SO relatable! He brings you along the journey of him waking up to his own self-delusion and invites you to do the same. You will be challenged in the way you think about yourself and how you relate to others. And you will discover nuggets of wisdom all along the way. This is a repeat listen for sure!

A guide to awakening yourself through one man's jo

We may not be aware of the toll that life's "papercuts" are taking on ourselves or where we have given up our agency of choice. Throughout this book, Brent shares with us his journey of discovering the papercuts and delusions that were keeping him from living as his best and true self.

I really appreciate how Brent shared personal stories in a way that helped me to both realize some of my own blindspots and give context for how I can apply theses learnings to my own personal journey.

The truth heals

In this book, the author lays bare his life (both successes and failures) to show the reader that true happiness isn’t found through success in business, titles, and money, but through being completely truthful to yourself and those you love. I appreciated the honesty in this book and the author’s desire to help others find hope and comfort from his example.

Must Listen!

This book is a must read and offers practical tools/knowledge to help live in the present; with intention, manage assumptions, expectations and control the ego!