Life is a process specific to you, which is why it is important not to compare yourself to others, especially when it comes to your academia. Social media, and even social events, are meant to highlight certain aspects within people, or groups of people, but it doesn’t highlight their process. If these highlights happen to make you feel belittled, underachieved, or behind that is because you are ambitious.
Other people’s achievements are things they worked for. You do not know how much time, energy, effort, and resources that they put into it, so to compare yourself to them completely undermines you and your progress towards your achievement.
Also, the achievements of others has nothing to do with you. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging others and their achievements, but comparing yourself to them will be more detrimental than beneficial. Trying to compare yourself to another person will never work because you are your own person which means that you think, react, move, and perform differently. Period. When looking at other’s achievements, some see what they do not have, however they do not realize that they may have an achievement that others do not at the same time. We all shine differently in this world, and that is what makes us our own individual. Imagine having the talent to paint like Olumide Oresegun, but you were too busy to acknowledge it because you distracted yourself while comparing your basketball talents to Lebron James.
This is whole deal about being an individual is even more true in regards to school. The comparison between two people in the same space is hardly going to make sense. Students vary from major, background, college prep, and even mental health. To one person, getting an A in a class means the world, but passing the class with a C means the world to the next person. An English major might see a paper as easy, while a Environmental Science major might see it difficult. At the same time, a lab is expected for the Environmental Science major while a lab is completely foreign for the English major. They both have different perspectives on what is easy, what they need work on, and what achievement means.
Achievement is subjective and defined by the individual. What actually is achievement? Who decides what achievement is? What achievements mean more than others ? These all can be, and should be, answered by an individual person after knowing and understanding themselves and their goals. Don’t let your goals be affected by comparing yourself to others, especially academically. Find yourself, find what you love, and find what you’re good at. Comparing yourself will only distract you from this process.
