Who is more stressed? Who studied more? Who procrastinated longer? Who consumed more coffee to stay awake? Whose GPA is higher? Whose major is harder? Who has more due? Who takes more classes? Whose life is better or worse than yours? Who is able to get by on the bare minimum? And who bites off more than they can chew?
College students always act like they have something to prove by having more on their plate.
It is constantly brought up, this question of who is working harder and is, therefore, more stressed out. The truth is, we're all winners and we're all losers, too. If the prize is stress, how is that even remotely a good thing?
They brag about doing more than they could handle, as though they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. There's always a question of who did the most in the best way, whether it affects their outcome or not. It's such a competition and everyone doesn't even have the same finish line.
When it's all said and done, the only person you'll hope you've beat is yourself. You'll hope you conquered all of your fears. You'll hope your skills have been mastered, and that your potential was met. Nothing anyone else is doing will ever affect anything long-term in your life. You'll get where you want to be all on your own.
The girl beside you in math class with the higher test grade doesn't affect your future. The all-nighter your roommate pulled for an exam you aren't even taking doesn't affect a grade you'll get on an exam you are taking. You know what you need. You know your limits, every strength, and every weakness. Take care of those; focus on your health, grades, goals, future, and career.
The chance that someone wants the exact same things out of life that you do is so slim. No one wants the same job, in the same city, with the house and the same partner living in it. That is your plan and it's unique to you. No one is deliberately going to stand in your way of following it. They're too worried about their plan and their success, and there is no way that involves taking away from yours.
Save all that competitiveness for when it really counts. The world is going to put people in your way. It will feel like the world itself is against you. Obstacles will come along. You'll go against people in your career and you'll have to be better than them to get that promotion. But now, it's you against yourself. You have to care for yourself and put out your best. Pick your battles carefully to win the war.
Instead of competing against your peers, be happy for their success as they build a foundation for what will be the rest of their lives. It's completely separate from the life you create and it's so much bigger than just a GPA and the stress we all got from it.
