Despite popular belief, there are some things that aren’t worth fighting for. Yes, a tale of perseverance and determination is always a crowd pleaser. Everybody loves hearing a tale of someone rising against the odds in order to achieve some sort of success. But what nobody wants to hear is a story of failure. Furthermore, nobody wants to be around a person that refuses to let go of something just for the sake of being steadfast.

One of the worst examples of perseverance gone wrong is a friend in a crappy relationship. This is an instance that’s bad for everyone involved. I feel like everybody has experienced this at one point or another (especially if your friend has horrible taste in partners). The embarrassing public arguments, the constant ebb and flow of breakups and makeups, all separated by statements like “I don’t even know why I’m still with her/him”. The fact of the matter is as your friends, WE DON’T EITHER.

Nothing can put a strain on a friendship more than one member being in a crappy relationship and nothing is more awkward then telling said member it’s probably time to call it quits. If you’ve ever been in this situation you know that there is little or no chance that the person requesting advice about their ailing relationship will actually follow your advice.

In fact, depending on how far gone the relationship is, they might even get angry with YOU, as if you’re the one that’s treating them badly. That being said, it’s time for all parties involved to hang it up. If you’re on the outside looking in, keep it that way. If you see a bad cycle forming, say your piece and let it go. If your friend feels like being in an abysmal, joke of a relationship, let them! This is America, they can do what they want. Staying away from it is the best way to keep it from being annoying.

The notion of knowing when to call it quits extends outside of the realm of intimate relationships. There are those among us who struggle daily to meet the expectations of our parents, friends and society in general. People changing who they are for the sake of appeasing people isn’t a new thing.

The fact of the matter is if you really have to try that hard to meet their expectations, you have to think about what you’re getting in return. This person you’re molding yourself to please, what do they do for you? When they’re being themselves do they make you happy? If no, you may find yourself asking why you are doing the inverse. You don’t. Every minute you spend not being yourself is a minute you’ll never get back. A minute where you’re not as happy as you can be.

For the longest time I neglected the things I like to do to appease other people. Then I realized that I’d rather spend my day reading comic books than spending time with the person I was pandering to. I found myself. I realized that if a person has a problem with my personality, that’s on them.

Being yourself and knowing a lost cause when you see it aren’t new ideas. But somehow they were lost in the passive aggressive, over-polite facade that comes with living in modern times. So let this serve as a reminder that if everybody was genuinely concerned about other people you wouldn’t have to worry about any of the things mentioned above. If everybody had your best interest in mind you would be able to be yourself without a second thought. So do it anyway! If you’re a weirdo, be weird. You’ll find yourself smiling a lot more.
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