You used to want to be like her...

Someone who was skinny with light and perfect skin. You could see her thighs did not smash against each other when she walked. You could notice her fit in any type of outfit because she did not have a thing called “fat;” her tummy was flat and her limbs weren’t flabby. She knew how to use beauty products. Her skin was smooth and bright. Her eyes were big with no flaws. She was liked by many guys, and she was proud of that…

You used to want to be like her...

Someone always put on branded heels and cool sneakers. She always smelled good with expensive perfume and blinked in fancy accessories. She was using an iPhone when most teens did not even have a phone. She went to pubs and bars and luxurious restaurants. She was the coolest girl in school.

You used to want to be like her...

Someone who always looked perfect on social media. She was followed by many people. Her posts were never less than a hundred likes. Everyone knew her. Everyone liked her. She knew how to put on makeup. She knew how to edit pictures. Every photo was perfect.

Jealousy was inevitable. You grew up wishing to be so many other people, but it’s never been you. You wished to be prettier. You wished to be skinnier. You wished you were her. You wished you were them. You hated yourself.

But when you grew a bit older, when you were no longer teen who just wanted to be “cool,””pretty” and “popular;” you realized you were missing something you should dream for. You realized there are so many more things that are worth thriving for instead of wanting to have the cool look. You want a valuable degree and a legit position in society when you grow up and step out to the world. Things you were craving for are just tiny and trivial.

Being cool and pretty could be a privilege, but this is not the career path that you want to follow. You know you can no longer live off likes and your “followers” like when you were younger, and parents cannot provide for you forever. Your talents and skills, wisdom and morality are what will follow you until the end of your life.

Look at you right now, because you were not that cool girl, because you did not go to pubs every night, because you were not so focused on your daily makeup that you were not distracted from your academics, you grew up with a mind full of wisdom in a better environment. You’re studying in a place of real cool people, people with achievements and inventions.

Appearance is necessary, but every age has its best focus. Childhood and teenage years are never meant to be for dressing up, dating or wasting parents' money without acknowledging there’s the most important goal. Young generations have always been mistaking this. Wrong target at wrong time. Because when you’re already successful, everything is in your hand.

Knowledge over swag.