Lucie Flagg

A few months ago, I watched a video that compared the size of Earth to the size of the galaxy and beyond. I felt so small—like no matter how much I will achieve during my time on Earth, it will always be minuscule in comparison to the universe we live in.

As I fell into an almost depressed state knowing diminutive impact I and everyone else has, I realized the good and beneficial in being practically nothing. The pressures we feel and the tiny things we stress over are even smaller than we are, and that includes schoolwork. Yesterday’s homework and tomorrow’s test mean nothing.

Success is not always based on academic busywork but rather on the drive and motive to achieve it. In the moment, it feels difficult and lazy to not put in the work, and that’s not to say you shouldn’t. Put in the effort to the extent that you need, not what others want. When we stress out for the delight and sake of others—making our parents and teachers proud—we sacrifice perhaps the most delicate and important thing of all: ourselves.

Too many students don’t make it out of high school in one piece, and many of those who do leave broken. Frankly, it’s an epidemic worth fighting. Risk, stress, and fear only impact us when we allow them to.

So strive to seek happiness on your terms because on the scale of everything, we are microscopic beings that just want to enjoy life.