Undergraduate / Am I perfect enough? 'Conviction and bravery are important to keep our heads up' [4]

Choose an issue of importance to you-the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in scope-and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation.

As I walk down the hallways of my high school, I tend to ponder about the people I always encounter, including my teachers and my best friends. How to they think? What do they believe in? What goals are in their minds? But I also think of how they perceive me as a person, the impression I give to them. It's not uncommon that at least once in our lives we think about that matter: What or how do people think about us? I believe this is a consequence of some degree of perfectionism we own, which is the main issue we identify when insecurities and lack of conviction invade us. Perfectionism is not a shield, but rather an obstacle that impedes us from being our true selves; it's the rock that prevents us from being blissful individuals.

Aspiring to do the best in anything we propose ourselves to do is not the same as perfectionism. Attempting to be perfect has another definition, a negative one perhaps. In my school there are different kinds of people, some of them who I have met and was able to know their stories. After hearing them, I have come to the ascertained conclusion that the problem lies in society and its way of communicating the portrayal of what perfection 'should' look like. The people I heard fall into different categories of perfectionism. "Am I attractive or skinny enough?" they would ask. "Am I accepted enough?" they would ask. "Am I smart enough?" they would ask. "Enough for who?" I would ask. The question here is also why we think we're not enough. The reason for that is because we tend to give an importance to others' opinions about how we are. We believe that if we are perfect to others, we will save ourselves from being criticized and judged. Perfectionism is not a shield; it's a hefty weight on our backs that we need to get rid of in order to achieve healthy success and happiness. For that, it takes effort and valor, the same effort and valor required to accept ourselves the way we are.

I, myself, have also asked the "Am I [blank] enough?" question. That's because I can label myself as the perfectionist kind of person. I thought there was no problem with being one. I believed attempting perfection is attempting success. Ever since I was a young kid, I have been a perfectionist in many aspects, such as academics. As an older and much mature person, I realize that it's alright to be analytical, organized, detail-oriented, but attempting perfection is not okay. There's no person in this world that is perfect; thus, saying that attempting perfection is attempting success means you'll never succeed. For many, being perfect is the expectation that they believe the world puts on them, and sometimes society does attack us with stressful expectations. We have witnessed this through mass media communication, often giving images of how a successful individual should look like and what characteristics he should possess. However, if we ever want to succeed, we must first encounter ourselves and understand the way we are. The next step is to proudly accept it.

One goal that I had in my mind for a long time was to know everything. Yes, to know everything. My quest for knowledge is still a goal, but not in the same way it used to be in the past. I had the idea that knowing more than my counterparts would make me more accomplished. I would then describe perfection as having knowledge. Being wise, being smart, being informed would protect me against those that despise ignorance. To be educated would mean avoiding myself from appearing as unlettered and letting myself be stepped on because I wasn't 'accomplished enough'. That is exactly the word that filled in the blank. "Was I accomplished enough?" Today I can respond with a "yes" because I'm worthy of being part of this society made of unique and equal people. Today, working myself towards an education is already an accomplishment, and I'm doing it for myself and for my own satisfaction. I know that that is how I will achieve the ultimate success.

It can be said that in reality the issue is not in society in general, but rather on each one us. At the end, everyone makes up the society of our current generation, but if everyone has the idea of perfectionism and the "What will others think of me?" question in mind, society will create the expectations we feel we must meet in order to belong. The eventual problem that perfectionism creates would be unhappiness for not meeting those expectations. Conviction and bravery are important to keep our heads up and reveal our true selves. No matter the situation, we're always enough.