Written by Ayesha Sahoo
Learning to accept your achievements as stepping stones towards success is an important step to becoming confident in yourself. Something that I have always struggled with is comparing my achievements to others’ and feeling like mine aren’t enough. We live in a world where everyone’s accomplishments are put on display and readily available, whether it is on LinkedIn or Instagram. I think I can speak on behalf of most students who have fallen victim to the endless, unhealthy scrolling on LinkedIn. Although these platforms serve as a great way to connect with people and find like-minded individuals who share similar passions, they also create self-doubt and anxiety. I often caught myself comparing my progress to that of others my age, digging myself a hole of self-doubt.
Slowly, I learned that comparing myself to someone who has had different experiences to me is unhealthy, and also not realistic. Coming to terms with what you have accomplished and appreciating how far you’ve come is one of the greatest things you can do for your mental health. Using others’ achievements as inspiration rather than guidelines is much more effective than solely relying on their life as a checklist. Remember that everyone’s accomplishments are unique to their experiences, and this does not make them less qualified or successful than others. Taking pride in your unique experiences and accomplishments is vital in becoming confident in yourself and your abilities.
This unpopular opinion may come off strong, but to succeed, everyone should be a little narcissistic. Healthy narcissism allows you to have positive self-regard and be proud of your accomplishments. By adopting a bit of this mindset, I stopped comparing myself so much to others and learned to love the experiences I had that shaped my identity. I focused on how I wanted to move forward based on what I had already experienced. Every accomplishment comes with a special lesson attached to it—one that will guide you on how to move forward with your life. I taught myself that if everyone followed the same trajectory and tried to engage in the same path as their peers, they wouldn’t have any unique perspectives to contribute. Acknowledging that everyone’s journey to success is going to look different is crucial. Not everyone will take on the same steps to reach a common goal, but that does not make their goals any less significant. True success comes from becoming the best version of yourself, and it is okay if it takes you a little longer to reach your end goal.