Augusten Burroughs once wrote, “I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.” Who hasn’t heard that quote by now? It graces everyone’s Facebook statuses, Twitter bios, and etc. And while it’s a silly quote that has lost a little bit of luster due to popularity, that doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of talking about. It’s actually pretty darn true to life. Mr. Burroughs, you have us all figured out. We’re all flawed but trying to be the best versions of ourselves in spite of that.

We’re nothing but flaws. We’re dirty and messy and mixed up. We’re making mistakes and being selfish and losing our way. We’re imperfect. We’re flawed.

Flaws make up a good portion of who we are, but just like Burroughs said, it’s the goodness inside of us that shines through and makes us whole. The problem with this idea is that sometimes, we can’t accept our own flaws or the flaws in others. We can’t be whole. We can’t be ourselves.

In order for any sort of self-love to be present in our lives, we must accept our flaws. Some people are just always late. Some people have love handles that no matter how many crunches they do, they just cannot get rid of them. Some people have birthmarks in weird places, and some people are addicted to bad TV. Whatever your “flaws” are, you need to know that they’re part of you for a reason. They are a part of who you are because that’s where your character lies. We must use our flaws as weapons to become better people. If your intentions are good and your soul is warm, I don’t see the harm in carrying around some flawed pieces of yourself everyday.

In our twenties, we’re doing everything and anything to try and find a small place where we can fit in—a place in this world where we can feel like ourselves and be okay with who we are. In order to start that journey, we need to take one small step forward onto the path of accept our flaws. On top of that, we need to accept the flaws in others as well.

Instead of covering them up with fake attitudes, caked on makeup, baggy clothing, and loads of excuses, we should just own them. Yup, these are my flaws and I am okay with them. Love me with them, or leave me be.

Because flaws are beautiful. It’s time to embrace yours.

-xoxo, E