The most influential person in my life is no saint, or war hero. You’d probably think of a teacher, a mother, singer, actor, or possibly a motivational speaker when you think of the most influential person in your life. Well, the person who influences me the most is just a girl, a simple girl, with a simple philosophy: “Nobody has to answer to God about the things I do except me, so why would I live to please others?” She hasn’t made the typical goal of perfection because perfection is subjective.

She has accomplished her own unique goal in life: serenity. She is happy with her life because she makes decisions that she wants to make and lives with them. She lives in the moment which was the complete opposite of me until recently.

She taught me to live for myself and no one else. I couldn’t please everyone with certain decisions that I made, but I was proud of myself because I made the choices to carry out the things that I felt was best for me. I’ve learned from her that it’s better to be imperfect and happy then to be perfect and unhappy, because attempting to keep an image that doesn’t really represent who you are can be overwhelming, and with time, detrimental to your happiness.