People always talk about perfection like it’s something we should all be. But if you take a closer look, nothing and nobody in this life is really perfect. We are all flawed and we are all just humans. Perfection is a trait for more divine creatures.

Yet we all strive to achieve it. And it’s precisely that obsession we have with perfection that makes love something that is hard to find. It’s like everybody carries around those checklists and if all the boxes don’t get checked, we fail in love.

Esforço para atingir a perfeição na verdade, pode não ser uma coisa assim tão má. Todos nós deveríamos tentar ser um melhor versão de nós próprios. To be better than we were yesterday. To compete with ourself and push ourself to reach what we consider to be greatness. Whatever that is, it should never be measured by somebody else’s standards of perfection but instead by our own.

That pursuit of perfection can be really damaging to our self-esteem, to our love life and to our expectations. That’s why we should all start being realistic.

Acredito que a perfeição está em tentar, em dar o seu melhor. Acredito que a perfeição é um coração bondoso e uma mente aberta. Acredito que todos nós somos perfeitos nas nossas imperfeições. Acredito que todos nós temos alguém que nos vai amar porque, apesar de não sermos perfeitos, valemos mesmo a pena.

That’s why we should give more emphasis to worth than to perfection. These are the things I believe make me worthy of love.

1. Estou consciente dos meus defeitos e estou sempre a trabalhar neles.

Having flaws is one thing but recognizing them and being able to admit that I need to make some changes is way harder. It took me a while to get to that state. Nobody wants to see their downsides let alone work on them. I am lucky because I own my flaws and I am always trying to be better than them. I guess some of them will be stuck with me for life. That’s why I just want somebody who will be able to deal with my flaws as I will deal with his.

2. Sou mais forte por causa da minha fragilidade.

Life hasn’t always treated me fairly. It has beaten me down in more ways than it’s humanly bearable. But, I managed to voltar a levantar-se. I managed to pull strength from somewhere deep inside of myself even though I didn’t know I had any left. I managed to persist despite my wounded heart and broken soul and I am a better person because of it.

3. Estou grato.

Sou o tipo de pessoa que desfruta da vida. Do tipo que fica maravilhada com tudo o que a rodeia. Estou grata pela minha família, pelo sol da manhã e pelas luzes nocturnas que fazem brilhar a cidade. Estou grata por este meu cérebro criativo que trabalha sem parar. Estou grato por toda a dor que me transformou no que sou hoje. Estou grato por este mundo e por esta vida.

4. Não há nada de falso em mim.

I smile sincerely. I cry when I am alone. I speak my mind. I am comfortable in my own skin. I have a good sense of humor. I listen attentively. I never pretend to be something I am not. I don’t force relationships of any kind. Everything I do comes from the heart.

5. Sou genuinamente bondoso.

I hate fake politeness so when I say something nice and polite it always comes from my heart. If I have nothing nice to say I’d rather say nothing at all. I think kindness is the greatest gift I can give to someone. I help those who are in need of my help, especially my friends.

6. I have no problem in saying the words, “I am sorry.”

Sometimes my mouth is quicker than my brain, so I may say some things that would be better left unsaid. I hurt people unintentionally. I might hurt people’s feelings or bruise their egos, but I’ll always pedir desculpa. I will say I am sorry and I will mean it. I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong and I will always feel bad about it. I will try to make amends and do my best to learn from the experience so that the same thing doesn’t happen again.

7. Eu falho. Cai. Tento de novo.

I am a bit stubborn but that can come in handy sometimes. I will fail as many times as it takes till I get something right. My stubbornness makes me persist. I’m not perfect. I’m not everything on my own checklist let alone somebody else’s but the give is worth the take. I am a work in progress and I hope somebody will value that in me.

8. I’m not perfect but there is beauty in being me.

I’m not the girl on the runway or the cover of the magazine who everyone wants to be with. I am backstage creating wonders. I don’t fit into societal norms of things like sizes and beauty but I learned to like me for me. I’m a woman who’s comfortable in her own skin.

9. Sou uma pessoa completa e completa, mas ainda quero ter alguém a quem chamar meu.

I am OK with being just me in all four walls of my home. I like spending time with myself and finding new ways to make myself happy. I don’t need a man to be my other half. I need a partner in crime. Someone I can laugh with, be weird with and who is comfortable with us making fun of each other. I need a partner in life. Someone I can lean on when I get too tired of life. Someone whose hug is more powerful than anything in this world. Someone who will listen. Someone to share happy moments with. Someone who will be worthy in all their imperfections just like I am in mine.