Perfection

This blog post is definitely one of the best I've read in a very long time.


It says things in a way that I had thought about them but never actually said them myself. And now that I've read it I have so many thoughts about it floating around, that I doubt I'll be able to write them all and keep people's attention.


Here is my favorite part of the post:


"The cure [to the "perfection disease"] is so simple.

Be real.

Be bold about your weaknesses and you  will change people's lives. Be honest about who you actually are, and others will begin to be their actual selves around you. Once you cure yourself of the disease, others will come to you, asking if they can just "talk". People are desperate to talk. Some of the most "perfect" people around you will tell you of some of the greatest struggles going on. Some of the most "perfect" people around you will break down in tears as they tell you how difficult life is for them. Turns out some of the most "perfect" people around us are human beings after all, and are dying to talk to another human being about it.

You'll love them for it. And you'll love yourself even more."

So good! There truly are people I know who seem to have everything going for them - good looks, doing well in school or work, ambition, drive, great sense of humor, lots of friends, etc. And this is not to say that they only have these things going for them to keep up an appearance of perfection, but we should all remember that even these people have problems. We are not the only people with problems. We really aren't alone.

A friend of mine told me a couple of weeks ago that we are all a little insecure about ourselves. This isn't news to me, but it can be such a relief to hear someone else say it, especially when it is someone who has so much going for them.

If we treat other people not as if they are perfect, but make sure they know we accept them with all of their imperfections, we can really help cure this "disease of perfection."

On the other hand (although we definitely want to compliment people on their accomplishments) if we treat people as if they can do no wrong, it adds a pressure to them that they don't deserve. We should always be aware when someone might be going through a difficult time, and be ready to just be real with them.

So here's me being real. Hopefully I'm not the only one who sometimes feels this way. Maybe if I put this dirty laundry out there a little bit, you'll realize you're not alone:

• Sometimes I don't feel happy for other people's successes.
• Sometimes I assume, when I see people laughing, that they are laughing at my expense.
• I often don't try new things in front of other people because I'm afraid I won't be as good at it as them.
• Sometimes I question if I really know myself very well at all. And sometimes I wonder why some people even want to be around me.
• Most of the time I overanalyze things.

There are so many more but don't want people to think I'm depressed or anything, because I'm not :-) I love my life, I love my friends, I love my family, I love my major.

But even if you are depressed, I wouldn't judge you for that, because it happens. And you're not alone. And I hope that we're good enough friends for you to know that you can come to me if you need someone to listen.