In a world where we are all unique individuals, why do we spend so much time defining ourselves by numbers? We think that if we assign a number for everything that we can standardize everybody. We think that we can use these numbers to actually learn about who people are. Do these numbers truly define who you are? Is there truth to these numbers, or do they only reveal a little bit about someone like stereotypes do? The way we use numbers to put people into boxes causes anxiety and feelings of inadequacy. It is important to remember that you are more than any number. You are you. You are special. You are unique. You are who you are meant to be.
1. Weight
Your weight. It is the number that so many people allow to defeat them, but they have to remember that it is just that a number. Bodies and people are so different from each other. Maybe you exercise every single day and eat right, maybe you live off of black coffee and pasta, or maybe you just like to eat: that is okay. The important thing is to be healthy and love yourself. Body Mass Index (BMI) is garbage. It does not account for muscle. It is a rigid set of numbers that lumps people into two columns: acceptable and at-risk. If you love yourself, then that is enough. Don't let the size of your jeans or the number on the scale wreck your peace of mind. Your happiness is more important than a number.
2. Number of sexual partners
The number of sexual partners you have had is no one's business except for your own. If you have had sex with one person or 35 people, it doesn't matter. Sex is personal and intimate. You should never let anyone shame you for your choices because they are just that yours. The only opinion that matters about you is the one you have of yourself. It is your body and your choice to have or not have as much as sex as you want.
3. GPA
In college, it is easy to feel the constant pressure that your GPA might have on your future. Will it mean that I won't get into this graduate school if I don't have a 4.0? Will I have as many job opportunities as someone with a higher GPA? That type of pressure will eat you alive, if you let it. Don't. Work hard. Study. Do your best. No one can give more than he has. The real power comes from the acquisition of knowledge, not the grade that you received. Your knowledge is your power, not your GPA.
4. Age
Age is a number that does not determine maturity, success, or independence. The older you get, the easier it is to feel like you haven't met your goals, but age doesn't mean you won't meet those goals. We spend so much time obsessed with age, waiting for our 18th birthday, 21st birthday. We spend so much time either wishing away our lives or being depressed about seeing our youth fading that we forget to be present in the moment. It is important to just be, not obsess about what we did or did not accomplish by such and such age.
5. The balance in your checking account
The balance in your checking account doesn't mean that you are a failure. Just because you have $3.18 does not mean you are a loser that can't get their stuff together. It means you are doing the best that you can, and maybe you need a little help. We can't all do it on our own, and it take some of us longer than others to regularly maintain a bank account with at least two zeros in it.
6. The number of friends that you have
When it comes to friends, you can have seven amazing best friends or one wonderful best friend. Regardless of how cliché it is, when it comes to friends, it truly is about quality rather than quantity. It is important to not forget that the quality of your friendships supersedes the number of friends that you have. The depth to which you can trust the friends that you have, and the level to which you can rely on them all is how you should measure your friendships.
7. The number of likes that you get on social media
Social media is fun, but it does not define self-worth. The number of likes that you get on pictures does not determine how attractive you are. The number of likes that your posts receive does not determine how interesting or intelligent you are. Social media is relative, and people don't even see everything you post. Never think that the likes you get on social media correlates to your self-worth.
Numbers will never define your self-worth.
