How is Kylie Jenner so successful? She's only 19. Why are these 13 year old girls so good at putting on makeup? How is someone I graduated with already starting a family in a house they bought on their own? We just graduated a few years ago. Why am I not successful? Why don't I have what they have?
STOP. Stop thinking like that.
We live in a society where everyone compares themselves to someone else. This mentality is dangerous; plain and simple.
From the time we start school, even if it's only pre-K, we are taught to compare ourselves to our peers. We want to run just as fast and write our alphabet just as well as the other kids. While this might just be seen as an initiative to improve by our parents and teachers, it is instilling in us a bad habit.
Instead of focusing on what makes ourselves unique and what we're good at, we are taught to fit in with the group. Girls should be sweet and play with dolls. Boys should be tough and play football and with trucks. We are placed in classes with others who learn at the same pace as us and we are labeled by our intelligence. This continues all throughout school and even into college.
This comparative thought process doesn't stop just in school. It moves into every aspect of our lives. We compare our clothing, our body type, our material goods and our wealth with our peers and with celebrities. We often fail to realize that celebrities are people just like you and me.
If you ever get the chance to meet a celebrity on the street or a band member after a show, you'll quickly realize, just as I did, that it's a very underwhelming experience. We put celebrities up on such a high pedestal that we can't see their flaws past their fame.
We don't know what another person's home life is like. They might just be really good at putting on a show like everything is fine, but in reality, they go home and fall apart. Their childhood might have been terrible. They put on a mask every morning so the media can see just how "perfect" they are.
When we compare ourselves to something that's not realistic, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Some people might see it as positive to look up to someone and aspire to be as successful as them, but it's often not possible. Not everyone is going to become a movie star overnight. Pictures in magazines are photo-shopped. Rumors are made up to create hype. For the "normal" person, there is no way to compete with the assets these celebrities have.
Instead of comparing ourselves to others, we should focus on who we are individually. Take a good long look at yourself and think about what you're good at. Think about the skills you have that make you unique. Focus on making yourself a better person and don't worry what other people are doing. If you're happy with yourself, that's all that matters. You don't have to be a size 0 to be beautiful. You don't have to be the smartest in school to still be intelligent. You don't have to like pop culture and you don't have to dress a certain way to be accepted. All that matters is that you are the best version of you that you can be.
So stop comparing yourself to media's standards. Kick that habit to the curb and begin to value yourself for who you are: a unique and wonderful human being.
