After high school, everyone goes on their own path and sometimes, you don't end up seeing each other for years. Social media is a great way to keep in contact with people to see where they're at and what they're doing now. But sometimes, you find yourself comparing your life to what you see other people doing, and that can lead to self depreciation.

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Cassie O'Leary and I graduated from Rogers High School in 2014. And no, I did not just graduate with my bachelor's degree along with everyone else from my year. As I'm scrolling through social media, I see so many people that are the same age as me doing such amazing things with their lives like buying a house, traveling the world, graduating from college, and getting great "big kid" jobs as I call them, to start their professional careers. There's also the ones who are very physically fit and aren't afraid to show it off. When I see posts like this, I feel nothing but happiness for them. But at the same time, it makes me look at my own life and I start to compare mine to theirs. Sometimes, I find myself feeling pretty discouraged because I haven't done any of those things. I have never been out of the country, I haven't graduated college, I haven't gotten a job where I would call it a career… nothing. I also have stretch marks and am a lot heavier than I used to be. Comparing yourself to others can really make you feel worthless and ashamed at where you are in life. I know there are others that are in the same boat as me, but yet, it doesn't change the way I feel.

On the other hand, I have accomplished a lot of things that other people haven't. I'm proud to say that I'm happily married to the love of my life and we have a beautiful baby girl who will be one year old next month. We got married a couple months earlier than what we had planned because we found out we were expecting. Sometimes, life throws surprises at you and you have to adapt to those changes with open arms. Instead of having the big wedding we were planning, we had a very small ceremony and had dinner at a restaurant with family as the reception. Although it was small and simple, it was just as intimate and emotional as a big one would have been. People say marriage is just a piece of paper, but it's really so much more than that. Imagine getting to have a sleepover every day with your best friend, and getting to spend every experience with them for the rest of your life. And getting to use the words "husband" and "wife" still gives me butterflies. Four months later, we welcomed our baby girl into the world. Everyone always dreams of what it will be like to hold your baby in your arms for the first time, but until you do, you have no idea how amazing and emotional it is for new parents. And watching your child grow up and learn new things; it's the best thing ever. Right now, Harley is learning to walk and seeing her take little steps across the floor is absolutely breathtaking. She's grown up so fast already! When she was a newborn, I caught myself thinking, "I can't wait until she can sit by herself" and "I can't wait for her to start walking". But now, all I can think of is how small she was and how she would cuddle up and take naps on my chest, and how I wish I could go back in time to relive that just one more time.

I've talked to people who, from my perspective, have it all; a good career, a nice car, a good social life, very fit, etc. But then they tell me how jealous they are that I have a family so young. I never really realized that some people look at my life in the same way I look at theirs.

Long story short, STOP comparing yourself to others on social media. You never know what their life is really like beyond what you see online. And you never know what they truly want in life either. Learn to appreciate what experiences you have had, and know that not everyone has the same experiences, or in the same order. There is no magic rule book out there saying what order things need to be done in to be happy. Everyone is different and that's what makes everyone unique and special. So it's ok that I haven't graduated college. It's ok that I don't have a "big kid" job yet. It's that I live with my parents right now. It's ok that I haven't lost all my baby weight yet. IT'S OK.