Homecoming Queen, President of Student Council, Co-President of NHS, VP of FBLA, and the list goes on. Do all of these things really matter in the long run if you're not truly happy?

My name is Sue and I am here to tell you that these things DO NOT MATTER! As the saying goes, "the grass is always greener on the other side (this means that you think someone has it better than you and you are most likely jealous of what they have)." Just a head up... nine times out of ten, the grass is fake.

I have been on both ends of this saying... the girl who is jealous and the girl who "seems like she has it all." I feel like I have a unique situation where I can tell both sides of the story. I want everyone to know, you are not alone!

High school was an interesting time for me. Granted, it's all I have ever known (as I am currently about to start my freshman year of college.)

During my first two years of high school, I really didn't know who I was, what I liked, or who my friends were. As all young kids do, I looked to my older peers for guidance.

I was always jealous of how people had such close friends in the grades above me, and how they always looked so perfect on their socials. Seeing this devastated me. I thought I would never achieve what seemed like "the perfect life".

These girls I looked at on Instagram were skinny, beautiful, carefree, and everyone wanted to be friends with them. This ate at me slowly and I started to doubt my worth.

Well I did not know the whole story. There was inside drama, fighting, health issues, depression, and so so much more.

As many of you know, high school is not the most wonderful place on earth. High school is simply what you make of it.

I chose to make it great. My last two years of high school, I surrounded myself with people that made me happy, I found my passion (musical theatre!) and I discovered who I was by establishing my confidence.

The reason I bring up homecoming court is because it is those "popular people" who seem like they are perfect; like they are made of honey and glass. You might never know what trauma someone has lived through or how they've grown up.

I think I was maybe viewed as one of these girls. Not saying that I was perfect but that I was always happy. This was certainly not the case.

Quick sidetone, one of my favorite things is smiling! I am an outgoing person who likes to make others feel joy. Smiling makes myself and others happy, and it is almost a sort of therapy for me.

When I would go home I was sad. I would curl up in my bed and cry because I felt like no one understood me. No one truly knew who Sue was.

I cried not because people were being cruel, but because I felt like I was the only person on the planet who felt what I felt. Who could be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel alone.

I am stressing this portion of my story is because we assume that people are perfect when we have no idea what is going on behind the scenes. Admittedly I do this as well. We are only human!

Here is one fact I have learned to accept that has helped me so much in the long run! There will always be someone better, smarter, or more talented than you. This sounds harsh, however, this is the exact motivation I needed to be the real version of myself.

Eventually I learned to just be me and not care what everyone else had. I was focused on me, but was I was also mindful of others.

I am me, and that is enough. Keep repeating this until you believe it.