Some people seem to glide effortlessly through life, obtaining perfection in everything they do. Signs that you have encountered such a person include: 1. you suddenly feel extremely inadequate around them, 2. you are jealous of them and 3. you wish that they would screw up in some way just so you can feel better about yourself. It’s okay. We all feel this way at some point in our lives; it’s how you handle it that matters.
According to motivational speaker Mike Robbins, comparing yourself to others can create a harmful cycle of negative feelings. To avoid this, he suggests turning those comparisons into opportunities for growth and self-acceptance. Instead of obsessing about all the negative things we pick out about ourselves, we should look for ways to improve and focus on our positive qualities.
With that being said, check out our list of ways for dealing with the different species of “Perfect People.” Find out ways you can stop comparing others, and start accepting yourself, today.
1. The Perfect Pretty Girl
It’s very easy to know when you have come across this breed of perfect. They have long, flowing hair, flawless skin and freakishly pretty facial features. Their body reminds you of a Greek goddess, and their clothes appear as if they just came off the runway. When they walk by, every person in the vicinity cranes their head to get a better look. You quickly take an inventory of your appearance and see how you compare–your hair is flat today; you have three new pimples on your cheek; and you are wearing your worn UNC t-shirt with old running shorts. It looks like the Perfect Pretty Girl wins again.
How to deal: Realize that even “perfect pretty girls” have bad days. They are not super-human. They are capable of pimples, bad breath and bad hair days as well. Remember the features you love about yourself, and focus on how they make you beautiful and unique.
2. The Super Fit Girl
You are in the gym wearing your cute new workout top that shows off your curves. Your shorts are still a little tight from all that stress eating you did during finals, but at least now you have a nice round butt! You feel pretty sexy as you step onto the treadmill for a mile or two to get that nice exercise glow. And wait a second, is that frat boy doing curls over there checking you out? Nope, he’s looking at the girl next to you. The one that has already been on the treadmill for about five miles now, and shows no sign of stopping. In fact, she hasn’t even started sweating. She is wearing a tiny little sports bra and spandex shorts that show off her six pack, rock hard behind and legs toned to perfection. She is everything that you imagined your workout regimen would make you. You sigh with jealousy and attempt to keep up with her pace. Of course you nearly black out after that second mile, so you decide to leave the gym and go get a snack.
How to deal: If you want to be Super Fit Girl, the solution is simple. Go to the gym and work out. Find something that you enjoy doing, like running, yoga or dance. If you enjoy yourself when you work out, you will be more motivated to do it. Instead of drooling over people who have perfect bodies, concentrate your energy on making yourself healthier and stronger. You will feel good and your self-confidence will rise.
3. The Ridiculously Brilliant Person
These people are most often spotted in class clutching their A+ papers or in the library reading their textbooks and working on practice problems just for fun. They barely have to study to maintain their 4.0 GPA, because the material seems to magically float into their brains with no little effort. Have you ever studied for a test for five or more hours only to leave the exam bleeding from your ears? Well this never happens to the Ridiculously Brilliant Person. He/she may look over their perfectly recorded notes the night before a test, but they don’t have to stress. He/she will breeze through it with a 98 or so. The Ridiculously Brilliant Person makes you wonder if you are destined to be a lowly secretary at his/her multimillion dollar company in the future.
How to deal: Go to the library and study! If you are not happy with your grades, spend more time doing your homework, attending your classes and studying. If you are still struggling, visit your professor’s office hours or get a tutor. Remember, you aren’t going to be perfect in every subject. You will have strengths and weaknesses in academics. Your GPA will reflect how you well you overcome your weaknesses.
4. The Extremely Interesting Person
These people are characterized by the long list of a. places they have visited, b. activities they participate in and/or c. people they know. You may hear them say something along the lines of, “Oh, last summer when I was in [insert exotic country here] I was [insert interesting activity] with a few of my friends from [insert highly selective program] and I happened to run into [insert very famous person].” They act as if things like this are a normal occurrence in their life (probably because they are) and love telling enchanting stories of their experiences. They have hundreds of Facebook photo albums that you stalk while you daydream of having such a glamorous life.
How to deal: Stop fantasizing about having this exciting life and make it happen. Visit the study abroad office and see if there are any programs you find interesting. Take classes you wouldn’t normally take, just to try something new. Join a club or organization you have always found interesting. UNC has so many opportunities to get involved. Find your passion and take advantage of it.
5. The Perfect Relationship Person
These people have the luxury of living a fairytale romance. Their love lives remind you of a Disney movie. They have been with their significant other for at least a year, and plan on getting married. The boyfriend is disgustingly sweet and buys the girl presents, takes her out to dinner on a regular basis, and may even write her songs or poems. Meanwhile, the girl believes this is exactly how every man acts, and doesn’t understand why everyone else has such trouble in the dating world. She gets a diamond necklace “just because” and you can’t even get a guy to call you. To make yourself feel better, you imagine her future of popping out twenty kids and living at home while you travel the world and hook up with a different foreign sex god in every country you visit.
How to deal: Realize that this is a very rare case, especially at UNC with the male/female ratio. Concentrate on making yourself happy, instead of depending on a guy to do it for you. Guys will be more attracted to a girl who is independent and has her own interests. A guy will come into the picture when the time is right.
It may seem that achieving perfection is impossible–that’s because it is. Quit beating yourself up if you think you aren’t as good as someone else. Embrace who you are, do what you can to improve and don’t worry about not being good enough. You never know, you might be someone else’s “Perfect Person.”
Sources:
Perfection e-card (photo): Someecards, www.someecards.com
Workout girl (photo): Photobucket, http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk243/Pavlaki77/beautiful-girl-working-out.jpg
Third wheel girl (photo): Tressugar, http://www.tressugar.com/Jealous-Other-Women-Advice-19321733