Stop comparing yourself to others.
Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but once you find different ways to start living your life and not following others, life will be a lot easier.
I’ve found that when I compare myself to other people, I only find myself feeling worse in the end.
For me, school has brought on a lot of insecurities in comparing myself to other students. I feel like I’m behind everyone else. Why are all of the other students getting to take these awesome, hands-on classes, while I’m stuck in a three-hour lecture? Sometimes it feels like everyone is living their best life, and I’m still trying to figure out how to get there.
What I’ve learned is that everyone moves at their own pace. You don’t need to rush through life because you have an artificial timeline in your mind. I feel like we grew up with the idea that “Okay after high school, I will do four years of college, then I will go into the world, get a real job, and be good from there.”
That’s not REAL. That is an unrealistic expectation that society puts on us, which ultimately makes us feel like we’re falling behind, and that we aren’t successful.
Why can’t we stay in school a little bit longer? We are only gaining more knowledge.
Why can’t we take time off of school and focus more on travel? We are only gaining more experiences.
Why can’t we work instead of going to school? We are only gaining more hands-on practice within the real world.
If you feel like life is overwhelming you, and you can’t take a full load — THAT’S OKAY. You and your mental and physical well-being is more important than anything else. Take life as slow as you want, it’s not going anywhere.
Remember to stop and smell the roses. Everything happens for a reason, and if that means you need to take time off of school, or even limit the amount of work you do, it will still all work out. Get rid of that artificial timeline, and focus on what benefits your own future.
Don’t limit your life and where your mind could take you based on this stupid, superficial idea of what life should look like. Instead, do what feels best to you. You know yourself more than anyone else, so follow your gut and do what feels right to YOU.