You Never Know What is Behind Closed Doors by Hanaa Haleem

 You Never Know What is Behind Closed Doors- Hanaa Haleem

That classmate you somehow see everywhere- cool fits, straight A’s, president of 4 clubs, and a great friend group —they must have their life together right? Well, where is that confirmed? Have they ever spoken about how they got there?

Looking at them in the library room seat near you: whizzing through practice questions correctly within 20 minutes, writing FRQs like they are nothing, and getting straight A’s on each test—”it must be so easy for them; how are they so good at this? Why can’t I be like them? They are just so…put together, and disciplined, and cool, ughhhhh why can't I just be as smart and hard-working as them,” you tell yourself as you dread studying for your physics problem since you cannot process the electrostatic formula you have been dreading for the past 20 minutes. This was my exact experience when studying for my final exams back in Freshman year, the time of year where you just cannot take it anymore. All that's on your mind is the fact that you will be finally free for summer break in 5 more days, and the physics review worksheet is the last thing you wanna do. 

It is unfortunate that this form of comparison is normalized. Trust me, it is not worth it and does not motivate you to work any harder. All that it does is take away valuable time that could have been used to make progress, even just 1%. It makes everything appear heavier, harder, much more miserable, and suddenly, you will feel like giving up the more you think that people are already ahead of you.

Moving on to my point, you never know what is behind closed doors. That classmate who you never spoke to, but aces every test, studies like it's nothing, and still has a social life? Well, we do not know the process taken to get this "successful." You never know the tutors who helped them, the mentors who guided them, or the money they invest in those cool fits—all you see are their results, not their plans or paths. 

And no, this is not to say that every successful person out there just has money or fame, as many successful people have been able to get to their current position independently without any personal connections or private tutors. It's just to say that you may have only seen the parts of them that they want to be seen, not their moments of despair, uncertainty, and stress. Not many people will reveal their plans or strategies because they only show their results.

So next time you  look down at your unfinished study session and contemplate on whether you will make it as far as that one classmate, take a breather, and instead focus on the small steps you can make toward finishing your revision packet and mastering the material, even if you do not get each answer right. You will be much more satisfied knowing you studied, made progress, and eventually corrected the concepts you miss, even if you do not have it all figured out at the moment.