Your friend
Aditi Garg
High School Student
Aditi Garg
High School Student
Dear Reader,
Oh, how many times I’ve been in your shoes! I, too, have questioned my abilities often, especially after failing to attain certain goals. For the longest time, I have been an individual who bases her self-worth off her achievements, so this feeling is a familiar one.
Good grades or winning competitions, and the trophies, medals, and certificates that follow are undeniably wonderful experiences. At the same time, a constant pressure to be the best brings forth that nagging fear, “Am I nothing if I fail?” Yet, here’s the plain, unembellished truth: you are so much more than your results, a report card, a number on a scoreboard, a painting, a dance routine, or a musical note. You are a complex, ever-evolving individual, and a mere rank or label could never wholly do justice to the beautiful, unique person you are.
Recently, I’ve tried to internalise the belief that I deserve to be confident, regardless of my achievements, by attempting to be curious about myself outside of positions and titles. Ask, “What kind of person am I?” or “What are my core values?”
Furthermore, I’ve noticed that I tend to compare my achievements with others’, especially on social media. But, social media is full of wins, while each one of us has experienced rejection, loss, and self-doubt at some point. It may help to express how you feel about achievement with a trusted counsellor, teacher, parent, or friend. Sometimes their responses remind us that we are not alone in feeling this way as well.
You may also try things without pressuring yourself to be marvellous at them. Learn an instrument or try a new sport; not to excel, but simply to be yourself. This may help you see your worth not just at the finish line, as an achiever, but throughout the process of learning and growing. To strengthen your confidence, tell yourself, “I am more than my achievements. I matter for who I am as a person.”
Your achievements are part of your story, not the whole book. The most resilient form of confidence comes from your perception of yourself, not a place on a podium! You are valued even on the days you may feel you’ve fallen short.
Oh, how many times I’ve been in your shoes! I, too, have questioned my abilities often, especially after failing to attain certain goals. For the longest time, I have been an individual who bases her self-worth off her achievements, so this feeling is a familiar one.
Good grades or winning competitions, and the trophies, medals, and certificates that follow are undeniably wonderful experiences. At the same time, a constant pressure to be the best brings forth that nagging fear, “Am I nothing if I fail?” Yet, here’s the plain, unembellished truth: you are so much more than your results, a report card, a number on a scoreboard, a painting, a dance routine, or a musical note. You are a complex, ever-evolving individual, and a mere rank or label could never wholly do justice to the beautiful, unique person you are.
Recently, I’ve tried to internalise the belief that I deserve to be confident, regardless of my achievements, by attempting to be curious about myself outside of positions and titles. Ask, “What kind of person am I?” or “What are my core values?”
Furthermore, I’ve noticed that I tend to compare my achievements with others’, especially on social media. But, social media is full of wins, while each one of us has experienced rejection, loss, and self-doubt at some point. It may help to express how you feel about achievement with a trusted counsellor, teacher, parent, or friend. Sometimes their responses remind us that we are not alone in feeling this way as well.
You may also try things without pressuring yourself to be marvellous at them. Learn an instrument or try a new sport; not to excel, but simply to be yourself. This may help you see your worth not just at the finish line, as an achiever, but throughout the process of learning and growing. To strengthen your confidence, tell yourself, “I am more than my achievements. I matter for who I am as a person.”
Your achievements are part of your story, not the whole book. The most resilient form of confidence comes from your perception of yourself, not a place on a podium! You are valued even on the days you may feel you’ve fallen short.
