We all know that famous pose of the girl walking in front of the guy holding her hand and the guy taking a picture of her. We all know it, because we've seen it scrolling down our timeline at least once and for some of us unluckies, more than we would like to count. Usually, it's accompanied by a caption, which again we've all seen a little too often, "relationship goals."
If I had a dollar for every time I saw a "relationship goal" on my timeline, I'd have my college tuition covered, a brand spankin' new car, and I'd be living lavishly. Yeah... I've seen it way too much.
At first, it was cute, but it got annoying real quick. I won't lie, I have said "goals" every now and again, but truly, it's all bullshit. Half the time, that couple you're admiring breaks up or it's models for a brand. The other half are real people, who got to that point and want to show it off. BUT WAIT. How did that cute couple get to go to Punta Cana and take that beautiful picture on the beach? They worked for it.
A goal is something you work towards. In relationships, that can mean lots of hard work. In reality, unless you're a social media star and get sponsored by companies to travel, you have to pay that out of your own pocket to go on vacation. That trip probably took them 3-6 months to save up for because they had rent and bills to pay along with paying for a trip to treat themselves.
Relationships take work. It's nice to want to travel and take cute pictures, but that's not what a relationship is all about. It's not all roses and chocolates, it's also arguments and building together. It's growing together and helping each other grow individually. It's becoming the people you wanted to be, with that special someone by your side.
That cute old couple didn't get to be married 50+ years because they just took cute pictures. They got where they are because they loved and cared for each other. They were willing to build a relationship and work for what they wanted.
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Not to mention, some of these goals are honestly pathetic. A guy holding open a door for you shouldn't be a goal; it's called chivalry and just because you can open a door on your own, doesn't mean it's dead.
Stop letting yourself be consumed by the relationships of others and start to build your own. Do not walk into a relationship expecting it to be like someone else's, because the truth is, that's not possible.