Post by Oyewole Faith

International Relations Graduate | Diplomacy and Sustainable Development | Leadership and Impact Enthusiast | Budding Fashion Entrepreneur | Creative strategist and Writer.

π‘ͺπ’π’Žπ’‘π’‚π’“π’Šπ’”π’π’ π’Šπ’” 𝒏𝒐𝒕 π’‚π’π’˜π’‚π’šπ’” 𝒂 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’†π’‡ 𝒐𝒇 π‘±π’π’š Counterintuitive right? Stick with me I started my Cambridge A-Levels journey in January 2020. In my very first Literature class, our lecturer gave us an unseen poem to analyse as a quick class exercise. Literature had always been my favourite subject. So I proudly submitted my analysis, one that would have earned me a 21 or 22 out of 25 back in secondary school. This time, I scored 7 out of 25. I was still processing the shock when the lecturer added that she only gave me the 7 to encourage me, since it was my first time with them. The highest score in the room that day was 17 out of 25. After the lecture, I walked up to the lady who got the 17, introduced myself and asked if she'd be okay with me going through her analysis which I then compared to mine, line by line. Throughout my A-Levels journey, I continued to compare my work with hers. She was ahead of me in the programme, and I used her work as a reference point until she graduated. By the October/November 2020 Cambridge exams, I emerged as the overall best student in Literature in my college. That experience reshaped how I see comparison. When done right, comparison can be information, not intimidation. Seeing someone else's progress doesn’t have to steal your joy, it can provide direction. It shows you what is possible, what you want and the kind of work that might be required. Comparison only becomes harmful when it turns into self-judgement instead of self-awareness. If you use it to shame yourself, it will drain you. If you use it to learn, it will quietly guide you. So the real takeaway is: π‘ͺπ’π’Žπ’‘π’‚π’“π’Šπ’”π’π’ π’Šπ’”π’β€™π’• 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’•π’‰π’Šπ’†π’‡. π‘―π’π’˜ π’˜π’† π’•π’‚π’π’Œ 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 π’„π’π’Žπ’‘π’‚π’“π’Šπ’π’ˆ π’Šπ’”. I'm open to fresh perspectives too How has comparison shown up in your journey? 𝑃𝑆: π‘‡β„Žπ‘–π‘  π‘π‘–π‘π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘’ π‘€π‘Žπ‘  π‘‘π‘Žπ‘˜π‘’π‘› 𝑖𝑛 2020 π‘‘π‘’π‘Ÿπ‘–π‘›π‘” π‘šπ‘¦ 𝐴-πΏπ‘’π‘£π‘’π‘™π‘ πŸ€­ #GrowthMindset #SelfAwareness #LifelongLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #PersonalDevelopment

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