Numbers Don’t Define You
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Okay, real talk. I know that you’ve probably heard “numbers don’t define you” multiple times in your existence. But have you ever really taken the time to think about it? Really, really think about it? Probably not. I’m sure all of us have experienced laying awake late at night where you think about one thing, get stressed out, and then before you know it you feel like your entire world is falling apart and you’re going to end up flipping burgers somewhere (no offense to anyone who flips burgers, I really appreciate you). Well that is exactly the road I was going down until I stopped myself. For those of you that have talked to me recently, you know that I’ve been trying to change the way I look at things, the way I look at myself, the way I handle adversity, etc. Well one of the things I’m also trying to change is that I’m trying not to stress about things more than I have to. Naturally, being a college student and a millennial, I find myself stressing about things that are really insignificant fairly often. Most of those things have to do with numbers. Let me explain.
Before this year, I used to let numbers define me ALL the time. It’s hard not to, especially in my generation. Numbers that we use to define us are everywhere. I used to care too much about the number of followers I have, the number of “likes” I get, my clothing sizes, how much weight I could lift, how many points I scored in a basketball game, the number of colleges I got accepted to, my ACT score, my GPA, and all these other numbers we use to compare ourselves to other people as if it mattered. When did we start using numbers to define us and make ourselves feel like we’re better or worse than anyone else? When did we start valuing numbers more than the person underneath them? Sure, scoring more points may make you a better basketball player than me, or maybe your ACT score makes you a better test taker, but it’s not like any of that really matters. Numbers do not define who you are. You know what defines who you are? They way you treat other people. THAT defines who you are. The way you treat yourself defines who you are. What you do with the cards you’re delt defines who you are. Your chemistry exam score doesn’t define who you are, so stop acting like it does.
The way I see it, the amount of money you make doesn’t give you a reason to treat anyone less than they should treat you, and just because you’re older than someone doesn’t make you more mature. At the same time, having a lower GPA than the kid sitting next to you doesn’t make you any less intelligent, and you aren’t any less beautiful or attractive as the girl that has three times as many followers on Instagram as you either.
I guess what I’m getting to is that numbers aren’t going to make or break your life, or at least they shouldn’t. They won’t as long as you don’t let them. Spend your energy worrying about the things that actually matter and spend each moment being the best version of yourself. Do your best in everything you do, and take pride in your results, whatever they may be. If you work hard and don’t come out on top, that’s okay. Worry about the things that are actually going to matter down the road, because when you’re 75 years old, you’re not going to care about the C you got in Introduction to French.
