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{Photo Credits go to my beautiful best friend - this is of me being my awesomely flawed, awkward self}

I am a flawed human being.

Say that to yourself a few times over.

In the age of acceptance and loving everybody for who they are, I think we sometimes forget that we are still flawed. Nobody is perfect, right? If in defiance you answered yes to that question, then you probably do not know the person that you think is perfect very well. And hey, if it makes you feel better you should know that everybody thinks they have found a flawless human being every once in a while. It is called infatuation.

And this is not to state that you should feel bad about those flaws, they make you who you are! But it does mean that you need to learn to accept them, and sometimes, apologize for them. If you cover up your mistakes, caused by your flaws, by saying something along the lines of “you need to accept me for who I am”, then you are not really accepting them. It’s as if you are sweeping them under a rug.

SO, embrace your flaws in all their beautifully cracked edges. I am stubborn. I am sometimes blinded by my passion for a cause. I am gullible. I tend to avoid confrontation. I can be clingy (to be fair I am this way because I want to make sure that those I love know it, and yes I know, that is besides the point). In contrast I can be distant. Sometimes I treat people with the standard of the possibility I see in them, and not where they are currently sitting in life. I am stupidly optimistic and hopeful. I have high expectations for myself. I laugh when I shouldn’t. I have trouble opening up to people. And I care way too much! (Some would argue this is a good thing, but trust me, caring for people when they don't care for you is difficult). These are some of my flaws.

These are the flaws that I have come to embrace. Can I still change them? Most Definitely. I can work on anything in my life that I don’t feel is quite right. Is it always going to turn out the way I want it to? Most definitely NOT. You cannot change yourself into the perfect person, but you can always strive to be a better person than you were yesterday. But you will still be flawed, and you will still lose friends over your flaws, as these flaws sometimes cause you to make mistakes.

Goodness knows I’ve lost my fair share of friends. We had different paths to travel, different ways to go. And to those few friends I’ve lost to my flaws/mistakes I would like to say I’m sorry, and I still hope the best upon you. Maybe our paths shall cross again one day, for I try (TRY being the operative word) to hold no anger in my heart towards those who have walked away because although I need to accept and apologize for my mistakes, the person on the other end of that needs to reciprocate it. Relationships of any sort do not last if only one person is willing to admit, accept, and apologize for their mistakes.

Please take this time to notice the difference between my use of the word ‘flaws’, and my use of the word ‘mistakes’. Flaws can cause mistakes, but are not mistakes in of themselves. Mistakes can be caused by flaws, but also by many other factors.

Hopefully this blog post has either gotten you to think about accepting people for their flaws, or just screaming “YES” at your electronic device. I will end with a warning: Know this, that accepting someone for their flaws is not the same as letting them control, or manipulate you into thinking you are the problem because you are not accepting for them for who they are. Both people need to accept their flaws, and apologize for them when necessary. “Life is a two way street”

Side Note: If I ever say anything you do not agree with, I would love to have an in depth conversation with you about it. Maybe you’ll change my perspective; maybe I’ll change yours. WHO KNOWS!