Being social beings, we have this power to dictate (to a certain extent) a good portion of our lives. From the clothes we wear, to the schools we attend to our retirement plans, it’s a special power that we take for granted, for good reasons (for the most part). With that being said, I want to talk about a specific power we have as humans; our romantic life. With the help of the media in various ways, the topic of romance and relationships have many fairy tales that we would want to be part of but unfortunately in reality, it rarely occurs. Here’s a few examples: the perfect guy eventually wants to be with a girl who always dreamt of dating the “popular boy in school” or the guy who is oblivious to see that his best friend has feelings for him and at the end of the movie he ends up kissing her, the list goes on forever. The thing is that these stories are scripted, you can’t script who you are as a person. As much as someone might want their love life to turn fairy tale, it’s unfortunate a rare scenario to happen to begin with. 

            There a bunch of reasons why things don’t work out romantically. What’s unfortunate about that is that the media and society unintentionally create this label where it portrays you as the reason why things don’t work out. Even the “perfect” relationship has two partners in it who has their respective flaws. There’s no such thing as perfection, only imperfection. People, myself included, put so much pressure on themselves towards being the best for someone, doing the absolute most to be the best for someone. I do believe being the best version of yourself is beneficial for a relationship however, any version of you should be good enough. You might not be the prettiest girl, most muscular guy, no matter how many societal characteristics you don’t have, you are good enough for you. You shouldn’t bend over backwards for someone who expects you to remodel yourself for them to accept you. Everyone comes into this world with their imperfect selves and that’s okay. 

            Basically, what I’m trying to say is everyone is imperfect but that’s what makes each one of us unique in our own way. We might not be able to drive down the runway the exact way we imagined it, trying to impress our crush, getting the looks from strangers when we are walking downtown but you are unique in your own way. If you feel like there’s something backing you away from romance, it’s not the case. Patience is key. People come and go and more often than not, the first few people you’re with, won’t be there with you 10 years down the road. After each of those break-ups, you might think it was because of your overkindness you have towards people or the fact that you are not the smartest but those are qualities that make you, you, and no one can take that from you. You just have to believe me on that. I have trouble in self-appreciation, but I’ve learnt that the best of us are appreciative of who we are as a person. So next time a relationship doesn’t work out perhaps, don’t look at yourself as the immediate failure, maybe it wasn’t the right time, or it wasn’t meant to be, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you should change who you are.