In today’s society, I feel as if I am always hearing people talk about what makes them happy. That’s awesome! I think that when you embrace who you truly are and do not worry about what people think about you, that’s when you find others that truly love you for who you are. When you do things that make you happy, you feel amazing and accomplished. That is great! But I think people take it a little too far sometimes.

School for example. Society puts all this pressure on us to succeed and get the best grade possible that some people become so obsessed with getting the right letter grade that they do not make time for other people. Yes, school is important and you should focus on it, but when you let it get to the point where you are so distracted by school that you are never there for the ones you love, that becomes a problem. When you let school take you over so much, you start to not care about how others are doing. You don’t notice when someone is having a bad day. You just become inconsiderate because it is all about you. The problem isn’t just school. The problem is a self-centered society that tells us that surface level relationships are totally fine and what really matters is doing what will get us ahead in life without caring about other people. How is that a way to live? People have often told me I am “too nice” or “too polite,” but maybe that’s what we need most in this world. I don’t think there is such a thing as “too nice” because something that you hear all the time, may not be what others hear. Maybe smiling and saying “Thank you so much!” in an enthusiastic voice to someone who did something so simple as handing you your drink at McDonalds is the only nice encounter they will have all day with someone. You just never know what someone is going through and what they encounter, especially in a society centered around “I”.

So please, don’t become so consumed with your own success and happiness that you become blind to what others may be going through. Do not think you can ever be “too nice” because you do not know who needs that kindness. Love one another and seek something more than a surface level friendship. You cannot expect to get much out of relationships (of any kind) if you only care about you. I know that I get caught up in school work too and not being in the same city as some friends does make it hard to communicate at times. I totally get this. There is a huge difference between inconvenience and purposely just not caring for others. Society might tell you that focusing only on you is the way to success, but let me tell you a secret…it’s not. I do not consider a life with a good career, but no one to love very successful. It is far more successful to be a good person that has good people they care for in their life. Success goes beyond you and your career goals. It’s not all about you. It’s about love.