Thomas Curran

Meet Eddie "The Cowboy" DelDuco. Low-budget hitman. Professional problem solver. Human coupon for bad decisions. Eddie doesn't do tuxedos, silencers, or six-figure contracts. He does burner phones, garage-sale weaponry, gift cards, and discounted group rates. If you need someone gone and your budget is rolling around in your glovebox, Eddie is your guy. He takes out people the way other guys unclog sinks: cheaply, creatively, and usually with something from the clearance bin. When Jessica Starling, a vapid but dangerously ambitious influencer, hires him to "relocate" her boyfriend, Eddie figures it's just another bargain-bin gig. Instead, it becomes the murder that launches a thousand hashtags and turns a quiet disappearance into a public spectacle. As Jessica's following rises as fast as her body count, Eddie gets pulled into influencer feuds, a lovesick cryo-spa owner spiraling toward disaster, and a relentless true-crime podcaster circling for clicks. Every move drags him deeper into L. A.'s glossy nightmare of clout chasing, manufactured outrage, and monetized tragedy, where optics matter more than truth and attention is the deadliest currency of all. As the bodies pile up and the spotlight grows hotter, Eddie must stay one step ahead of the chaos he helped create, making sure someone else always takes the fall. Dime Store Hitman is a darkly comic crime thriller set in modern Los Angeles, where fame kills faster than Botox and nobody reads the fine print.

Kansainvälinen bestseller tarjoaa tehokkaan vastalääkkeen täydellisyyden ihannointiin. Täydellisyyden paine ympäröi meidät joka puolelta, ja moni tunnustautuu perfektionistiksi. Mutta onko täydellisyydentavoittelussa kyse kunnianhimosta vai epävarmuudesta ja pelosta? Mikä on suurien odotusten hinta? Perfektionismi on roihahtanut länsimaissa epidemiaksi, josta seuraa stressiä, ahdistusta ja masennusta. Johtava perfektionismin tutkija Thomas Curran selvittää vakuuttavasti ja omiin kokemuksiin perustuen, mikä perfektionismia ruokkii ja miten päästä irti täydellisyydentavoittelun ansasta. Kirja kannustaa rakentamaan maailmaa, jossa riittävän hyvä todellakin riittää.

"Offers a hopeful beacon and a steady path for anyone struggling to find their footing in a world of impossible standards." --Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive and The Power of Regret In the tradition of Bren Brown's bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection, this illuminating book by an acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics explores how the pursuit of perfection can become a dangerous obsession that leads to burnout and depression--keeping us from achieving our goals. Today, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, oppressively ubiquitous social media encouraging comparisons with others, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and to be perfect. Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, Curran offers "a clear-eyed look at how perfectionism and its capitalistic 'obsession with boundless growth' has contributed to mass discontent and insecurity" (Publishers Weekly). He shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect, and in so doing, win for ourselves a more purposeful and contented life. Filled with "many useful lessons and valuable insights... This book offers an alternative path to a fulfilling, productive life" (Kirkus Reviews) and the relief of letting go to focus on what matters most.

Kust on tekkinud sügavalt juurdunud idee, et ainus viis edu saavutada on püüelda täiuslikkuse poole? Täiuseiha vaatab meile vastu reklaamidest, filmidest ja sotsiaalmeediast ning on paraku kandunud üle ka päris ellu: akadeemilise edu kultus, iluideaalid, lapsevanemate surve teha kõike "õigesti", auahnust õhutav töökultuur jne. Mida rohkem näiliselt ideaalset elu enda ümber näeme, seda enam veendume, et oleme ka ise õnnelikud ja edukad vaid siis, kui saavutame endale seatud ideaalid. Päriselt toob taoline kollektiivne hoiak aga kaasa ebakindluse ja pideva rahulolematuse: alati jääb midagi puudu. Põlgame iseenda puudusi, seda, mis teeb meist inimesed. Kuidas leppida ebatäiuslikkusega ja elada iseendaga rahujalal? Raamatu autor Thomas Curran, samuti hingelt perfektsionist, on selle teekonna läbi teinud ja teab, et perfektsionism ei ole muud kui paradoks, saades ajapikku paljude meie hädade allikaks. Ühena vähestest maailmas on ta teemat ülikooliprofessori rollis süvitsi uurinud ning selgitab, kust täiuseihalus alguse saab, miks see on negatiivne mõtteviis ja kuidas võiks kultuuriruum areneda paremuse poole, kui lubame endil käiku aeglustada, tagasi minna või lausa ebaõnnestuda." Thomas Curran on maailma juhtivaid perfektsionismi eksperte ning tema raamat selle kasvust on mõtlemapanev."- Adam Grant"Curran näitab, et perfektsionism mitte ei paranda meie sooritust, vaid kahjustab meie heaolu - see on vastand vastupidavusele, edenemisele ja tõelisele täiusele. "Täiuslikkuse lõks" pakub innustust ja kindlat rada kõigile, kellel on raskusi oma jalgealuse leidmisel võimatute standardite maailmas."- Daniel Pink

ONE OF BLOOMBERG'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023'Thomas Curran is the world's leading expert on perfectionism, and he's written the definitive book on why it's rising, how it wreaks havoc on our lives, and what we can do to stop it. If you've ever found yourself fearing failure, ruminating about mistakes, or just feeling that you aren't good enough, this is a must read' Adam Grant'A fascinating and panoramic analysis of perfectionism in modern capitalist societies' Grace BlakeleyToday, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, the comparative world of social media, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and that we have to be perfect to get it. Why is this a trap, and how can we escape it? Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics Thomas Curran calls for both a mindset shift and broader, societal change. He explores the paradoxical effects of perfectionism on everything from performance to social and financial inequality, and shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect - and how we can create a culture that celebrates the joys of imperfection. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the soul-crushing need to compete for more or to be the best, The Perfection Trap is for you. Learn to prioritise what's important, meet the world where it is and strive for purpose instead of more by embracing the power of 'good enough' in your life.

Överallt omkring oss möter vi budskapet att vi ska vilja ha mer än det vi har: ett bättre jobb, ett ­rikare socialt liv, ett vackrare hem och mer väl­uppfostrade barn. Kort och gott att sträva efter att vara så perfekta som möjligt. Men måste vi verkligen det? Om du någonsin har känt dig överväldigad av samtidens själsdödande krav så är Perfektionsfällan boken för dig. Du lär dig att prioritera det som är viktigt, att möta världen som den är, inte som den borde vara, och att söka efter mening istället för perfektion. Och inte minst lär du dig omfamna kraften i att fylla ditt liv med fler saker som är lagom bra.*Thomas Curran är forskare i socialpsykologi vid London School of ­Economics.

In the bestselling tradition of Bren Brown's The Gifts of Imperfection, this illuminating book by an acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics explores how the pursuit of perfection can become a dangerous obsession that leads to burnout and depression--keeping us from achieving our goals. Today, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, constant social media compelling us to compare ourselves to others, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and to be perfect. Here, in The Perfection Trap, author Thomas Curran tells us to stop chasing perfection and instead, encourages us to embrace "good enough." Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, Curran calls for both a mindset shift and broader, societal change. His three main principles to live by are: 1. let things go (prioritize what's important) 2. meet the world where it is (accept disappointment and calmly pivot in a new direction) 3. strive for "purpose" instead of "more" (commit to causes beyond yourself that have bigger meaning) Curran explores the paradoxical effects of perfectionism on performance and shows how perfectionism contributes to social problems and even psychological pain. He shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect--and how we can create a culture that celebrates the joys of imperfection. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the soul-crushing need to compete for more or to be the best, The Perfection Trap is for you. Now you can find enlightenment, purpose, and joy by letting go and focusing on what matters most to you--regardless of whether it meets someone else's definition of perfect.

"Offers a hopeful beacon and a steady path for anyone struggling to find their footing in a world of impossible standards." --Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Drive and The Power of Regret In the tradition of Bren Brown's bestseller The Gifts of Imperfection, this illuminating book by an acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics explores how the pursuit of perfection can become a dangerous obsession that leads to burnout and depression--keeping us from achieving our goals. Today, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, oppressively ubiquitous social media encouraging comparisons with others, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and to be perfect. Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, Curran offers "a clear-eyed look at how perfectionism and its capitalistic 'obsession with boundless growth' has contributed to mass discontent and insecurity" (Publishers Weekly). He shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect, and in so doing, win for ourselves a more purposeful and contented life. Filled with "many useful lessons and valuable insights... This book offers an alternative path to a fulfilling, productive life" (Kirkus Reviews) and the relief of letting go to focus on what matters most.

'Thomas Curran is the world's leading expert on perfectionism, and he's written the definitive book on why it's rising, how it wreaks havoc on our lives, and what we can do to stop it. If you've ever found yourself fearing failure, ruminating about mistakes, or just feeling that you aren't good enough, this is a must read' Adam Grant'A fascinating and panoramic analysis of perfectionism in modern capitalist societies' Grace BlakeleyToday, burnout and depression are at record levels, driven by a combination of intense workplace competition, the comparative world of social media, the quest for elite credentials, and helicopter parenting. Society continually broadcasts the need to want more, and that we have to be perfect to get it. Why is this a trap, and how can we escape it? Gathering a wide range of contemporary evidence, acclaimed professor at the London School of Economics Thomas Curran calls for both a mindset shift and broader, societal change. He explores the paradoxical effects of perfectionism on everything from performance to social and financial inequality, and shows what we can do as individuals to resist the modern-day pressure to be perfect - and how we can create a culture that celebrates the joys of imperfection. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the soul-crushing need to compete for more or to be the best, The Perfection Trap is for you. Learn to prioritise what's important, meet the world where it is and strive for purpose instead of more by embracing the power of 'good enough' in your life.