Why do we let numbers define us? Why do we let them define how we talk, how we act and how we treat each other? Everything we do can somehow be related to a number. A significant value that drives how we mold our identity. Numbers drive how we view ourselves and how others view us.

We work so that our amount in our checking account goes up. We spend money on clothes and makeup and hair so that the number of likes we get goes up. We are told from a young age that without a high GPA, we won't be successful. Every day in the media, we are shown that the number on the scale defines our beauty.

We strive to have the best numbers, so that these numbers can define our success and define our life. We work so hard to just be a number on a piece of paper, but why? Why do these values control our lives and our every action? Why are they SO important?

I sit here studying for a test and wonder why that test score defines my success. I am controlled by numbers. I took an ACT so I could go to college. In college, I slave over papers, lab reports and tests. I do not control my life, the numbers that represent who I am control my life. They control how others view me and how I view myself. As a generation, we let these insignificant values control our variables of success.

When it's all said and done, what are they? They are just numbers, values that we write on paper or put into spreadsheets. Those numbers that we strive so hard to achieve don't define us. Nor should they control us. I look back on my ACT score and I laugh, knowing that test had nothing to do with my success here at my university. I look at the amount of likes I get on my Instagram pictures and know that the number doesn’t define my memory or my experience. Our generation is finally starting to see a movement against the idea of standardized values depicting an individual’s abilities and competencies. We no longer just strive to get a 30 on the ACT, we no longer are satisfied with getting good grades. The number on a scale doesn't define beauty. This generation is doing more, and our generation needs to do more.

We need to understand that our actions and our choices define our abilities and our success, not a low test score. We, as a generation, need to change the general belief that these numbers are the only thing in life to strive for, and the only thing a person wants. What matters is what you do, so that those numbers are the least important things in your life. The relationships you build and the good deeds you do should mean more to anyone that a single numerical value. When I'm older, I want to look back at the people I met and the experiences I had, not the likes on my profile picture. Who you are is defined by what you do, not the value associated with it.