Despite what your mother may tell you as she tucks you in to your bed at night, you are not perfect. Don't get me wrong; you're still probably pretty awesome and probably an inspiration to someone in this world. Unfortunately, you're just not the best. Because there's only one of those. At least, that's what the term implies.
For a lot of us, before we entered college we were the best at something. For me, I was just a really good student. From middle school, I had had teachers ask if I plagiarized something because it was just written at a much higher level than my age would suggest. And while the accusation was rough, it was something that really impacted me and made me feel like I was great. Someone had recognized that I was good at something, and it felt nice to be appreciated. Working hard on something and pulling late nights was worth it once you saw that beautiful 100 stamped on your paper. It was like a gold medal just for you.
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And of course, other people had sports and being cheered on by large crowds as they scored a winning basket. Or they were voted most likely to win an Oscar or whatever other award was associated with their interest. Everyone seemed to have something, however big or small, that made them special.
But everything changed when college attacked.
My freshman year, I lived in the Living Learning Community in a pre-health hallway. I had another roommate that was also pre-med and another one that was the same major as me. All along my hallway, the kids who were the best at their schools claimed the study rooms and confused me with their complicated notes. I soon realized that this wasn't high school anymore, and that things would have to change for me to be competitive or even just average.
Living there that year was rough for a lot of us. We tried to be involved in the same things we were in high school, while managing being away from home for the first time and taking the 15+ hours that were required for our scholarship. Some were brave and hit the books hard and early to stay ahead. Some persevered against this never-ending slew of tests that barraged us at every point. And some tried. And they really tried. But their best wasn't enough, or it wasn't worth it to try anymore for them. What was the point if we weren't the best? Or even if we were simply enough?
At times, it was really easy to be jealous of the people who made it seem so easy. The ones that got to be officers of 10 different organizations, volunteer every spare moment they had and maintain that coveted 4.0. After a while, though, you start to realize it's okay to be upset with yourself for not doing as well as you're used to. It's okay to want to improve and realize that you really aren't the best, because if we were already the best, why are we in college? But it's not okay to beat yourself up when you honestly do give your best effort, and it's not okay to constantly compare yourself to people who have not been through what you have.
Be happy for the successes that other people have. Learn to appreciate the good things that you have, even though they may not be the best. As long as you're doing what's right for you (and you know what that is), try to be good with what you have.
