As a college student living on a big campus, the people around you come from different walks of life. It is not too hard to feel bad about yourself when you see friends who appear to have it easy. I promise you though, the person on the other side who seems to have a perfect life, does not have everything together. Here’s how you get warped into thinking your life is not as rich as so-and-so.
Social media creates a facade, highlighting life’s richest moments over reality:
Social media has become the number one way to make anyone’s life seem like it’s a blast. Yet in reality, all the viewer is seeing is a highlight reel, the good parts, so it just looks like the person’s life is always good. You will see your friends take pictures in cool countries and beaches and think to yourself, “Man I wish I was there right now!” But you don’t know how they got the money or time to go to these places. And most of the time it’s assumed, wow they are rich! Rather than focusing on all these people flexing on their parents’ money (most of the time), put your time and energy into hopefully being able to afford these trips on your own.
Regardless of how much support they receive from their parents, everyone still has issues of their own:
And this is coming from my own personal experience with my freshman year roommate. This girl had it made. Really. She came from an expensive boarding school, so Virginia Tech tuition and her sorority fees don’t even make a dent in her parent’s income. On top of that she does not need to get a job and does not even have to think twice about spending money on extra expenses like clothes. On top of all that, they had frequent vacations. As someone from a middle class family, trust me I was jealous. But, as I started to get to know this girl, I realized she was not ready for the real world and had her own struggles with her social life.
Lending money can create tension in friendships:
This is something I have learned in college. Back home where I’m from, my friends and I would not even think twice about covering each other when we went out and if it was under 20 dollars, we would not even ask for the money back. In fact, I’m pretty sure my mother would make me feel bad for asking back such a small amount from a friend. Yet when I came to college, you can find people who will harp on you over three dollars. And look, I’m not rich, but I came to college with the same generous attitude from back home, and I completely regret it now. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my friends, but there have been times where if someone needs to pay for something, I would have them look at me dead in the eye and say, “Prerna, I’m broke” and just expect me to pay for whatever we needed.
Work hard for what you want, don’t fall into the comparison or jealousy trap:
I think the most important lesson behind jealousy, is that just because someone else seems to have it better, does not mean that you know the full story of their life. There is so much more fulfillment in earning the treats of life than just having it. Is it easy? Yes! And for some people that cushion sticks forever with a trust fund. But after seeing the life of a close friend’s mom who lives off a trust fund, I have to say I am only impressed by what is earned through hard work. Without any sort of goal to work for, life can become boring, and eventually you will feel that you are falling behind everyone else around you. So take pride in the fact that you need to work hard! It gives your life purpose.