--- title: How Wabi Sabi Can Help You Accept Imperfection description: The Japanese concept of wabi sabi can help you become the best version of yourself, according to Beth Kempton, author of "Wabi Sabi." canonical: https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/ author: Annabel Gutterman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-03T20:20:32.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:05.858Z og:title: How This Japanese Concept Can Help You Accept Your Imperfections og:description: Rethink how you view yourself this year og:url: https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e0b705e5f4186cd/69894289b21a9c2b084ffd0f/wabi-sabi-beth-kempton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5221 og:image:height: 2937 og:image:alt: Wabi-Sabi-Beth-Kempton og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How This Japanese Concept Can Help You Accept Your Imperfections twitter:description: Rethink how you view yourself this year twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e0b705e5f4186cd/69894289b21a9c2b084ffd0f/wabi-sabi-beth-kempton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How This Japanese Concept Can Help You Accept Your Imperfections > Sponsored content. 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Brief (Washington politics, twice weekly), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=62762daf-363d-4421-b0b5-3156709c000b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Hygge, the Nordic Trend That Could Help You Survive 2016 [Watch (HLS stream): Hygge, the Nordic Trend That Could Help You Survive 2016](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eSsgB6Rj.m3u8) (1:12)  _Published 2016-12-05. Hygge — pronounced as “hyue-gar,” “hoog-jar” but most commonly “hoo-gah” — broadly means an approach to living that embraces positivity and enjoyment of everyday experiences, said to be core concepts of attitudes to life in the Nordic region._  by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor Jan 3, 2019 8:20 PM UTC  Mint Images - Jonathan Kozowyk—Getty Images/Mint Images RF  by [Annabel Gutterman](https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/)  ## Annabel Gutterman Senior Editor Jan 3, 2019 8:20 PM UTC [_Hygge_](http://time.com/5107481/death-cleaning-to-hygge/)— the Danish trend that inspired many of us to embrace a cozier lifestyle — is one of several foreign concepts that have tickled the curiosity of Americans in need of a change. If you’re looking to switch up your home, boost your happiness or even rethink how you view the world this year, consider the Japanese concept of [_wabi sabi_](http://time.com/3532535/10-daily-rituals-you-need-to-adopt-right-now/)_,_ which encourages people to welcome life’s imperfections and accept ourselves for who we are. Beth Kempton, author of [_Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life_](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062905155/ref=as%5Fli%5Fqf%5Fasin%5Fil%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=time037-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0062905155&linkId=279e81ef749ddc840c2eb2de39aa323a)_,_ found her enthusiasm for _wabi sabi_ from visiting Japan for over 20 years. She’s used its lessons to inform how she interacts with nature, her home and the people in her life, embracing impermanence — a pillar of _wabi sabi._ In her book, Kempton offers tips for navigating acceptance in tough situations, whether you’re struggling with rejection, marriage woes or simply the chaotic state of your house, by remembering that we are constantly changing. Lean into this inevitability in 2019\. Kempton suggests trying to live through a week without expectations, so you can stay calm if things don’t go as planned. When we realize nothing is certain, we can skip the drama and head straight to acceptance. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/"},"headline":"How This Japanese Concept Can Help You Accept Your Imperfections","datePublished":"2019-01-03T20:20:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:05.858Z","description":"Rethink how you view the world this year","url":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/","keywords":["Living","Books","Lifestyle"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e0b705e5f4186cd/69894289b21a9c2b084ffd0f/wabi-sabi-beth-kempton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Annabel Gutterman","jobTitle":"Senior Editor","url":"https://time.com/author/annabel-gutterman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4e0b705e5f4186cd/69894289b21a9c2b084ffd0f/wabi-sabi-beth-kempton.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Wabi-Sabi-Beth-Kempton","caption":"A woman walking through nature","creditText":"Mint Images - Jonathan Kozowyk—Getty Images/Mint Images RF","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/","name":"How This Japanese Concept Can Help You Accept Your Imperfections"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Hygge, the Nordic Trend That Could Help You Survive 2016","description":"Hygge — pronounced as “hyue-gar,” “hoog-jar” but most commonly “hoo-gah” — broadly means an approach to living that embraces positivity and enjoyment of everyday experiences, said to be core concepts of attitudes to life in the Nordic region.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/eSsgB6Rj/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-12-05T20:29:01.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/eSsgB6Rj.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/","duration":"PT1M12S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5492152/wabi-sabi-imperfection/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```