The other day I got a call from my sorority sister and though I love it when people call me, it doesn’t happen often, so I knew something was wrong.

I rushed to where she was to find her eyes slightly red and puffy from the tears caused by a boy.

A boy who broke her heart.

We sat together as she told me the story of how it all happened.

How they met, the perfect first date they went on and the dreadful talk consisting of the phrase, “I don’t think I can do this anymore.”

She told me how perfect he was and how she worried about not being able to find someone like him.

Someone who was so compatible with her; who would sing the songs that she loved, and not laugh at her for dancing in the crowd, but instead join her.

She told me he was perfect.

Then she asked me, “Whose going to do that with me?”

And I didn’t have an answer to give her.

This idea of perfect, though, is what caught my attention because it is so common for us to call each other perfect.

It’s what we do in the first stage of a relationship, whether the relationship is romantic or not.

It’s called the “obsession” stage.

This is where all you want to do is text that person, spend time with that person, get to know more about that person and you become infatuated with everything they say and do.

Their likes become your likes.

Their dislikes become your dislikes, and you gawk over them as they look into the vastness of the sky and say, “Aren’t the stars such an extraordinary thing?”

And they become perfect to you.

But what my sister failed to see, and what we all fail to see is that perfection is a fabrication.

It’s an unrealistic standard we put not only on ourselves, but on others as well.

Let’s face it, being perfect isn’t even that cool.

It shows others that you have your shit together and know the answers to questions like

“What is life?” and

“Where will you be in five years?”

I don’t know about you, but I have gotten over this idea of perfect because it just isn’t real.

I trip walking up the stairs.

I say things I shouldn’t and I laugh during moments of awkward encounters.

A successful day for me is when I don’t spill food all over my clothes and I remember to brush my teeth after having my morning coffee.

Being perfect isn’t real.

What is real is being who you are.

When you are true to who you are, people become attracted to that and want to swarm around you like bees to a flower because you give off color and life.

So get this idea of perfect out of your head, because it’s overrated and boring.

Be adventurous.

Be daring.

Be bold and take risks and always remember that,

All you have to be is you.