The great Hannah Montana once said “Nobody’s perfect”, and as a little girl who looked up to the advice of Disney Channel stars, this one stuck with me. Looking at the grand scheme of things no one is perfect, but when you are only looking at someone’s life on social media, it is hard to imagine what could possibly go wrong in their lives. 

Social media has only escalated insecurities and caused people’s confidence levels to drop simply by looking at a picture. Questions like, “Well why am I not that skinny?” or “How does he have so many friends to hangout with?” flit through our minds, when behind the scenes those same people may be going through a hard time in their lives. Everything you see online is simply everyone’s highlight reel; people only want to share their favorite moments or the best pictures of themselves. I will say I am guilty of falling into the social media trap, and it is hard not to when everyone around you is trying to show off their best moments. It is easy to wonder if you really have your life together when you see everyone else’s lives looking perfect, but you need to remember how important it is to build yourself up and not to tear yourself down. 

It is easy to want to conform to how everyone else acts, trying to fit in order to have the most friends and to be labeled as cool. As I got older, however, I realized that it’s not fun to be exactly the same as everyone else and it is exhausting to act a certain way all the time in order for people to like me. Once I got to college, it felt like a breath of fresh air to be able to find people with a similar mindset, in spite of being at a huge school like UGA. At first, it was nerve wracking to be constantly meeting so many people, but it built my confidence that I was able to make friends by simply being myself. Walking into a room of people you don’t know can be very intimidating, but digging deep and believing in yourself brings out the confidence you may have forgotten you have. Being confident helps you to not care as much what people think about you and shows people you are comfortable with yourself and are willing to try new things. 

Being successful can have different definitions to different people, but I believe working on yourself and always trying to self improve will lead to a more enjoyable life. From my experience in many types of job interviews, I have learned the most important skill to have is confidence because it can take you so far. I’ve had so many nerves going into interviews because I know my personality and skills are being judged in order to see if I am a good fit for the job. Once I take a deep breath and think about all the hard work I have accomplished and skills I have learned, it reminds me that I am qualified and I deserve to be there. Gaining the skill to create this confidence level has come from hard work and dedication to the subjects I enjoy in life. Finding things I am passionate about has allowed my confidence level to grow and continue to do so as I discover more about the world around me. 

“You live and you learn” may be my favorite line from “Nobody’s Perfect” because, although I have learned many life lessons through the years, the biggest tip I have taken with me is to be confident in who I am. Your whole life does not need to be perfect for you to be confident in who you are, and to remember nobody else’s does either. It is important to recognize your strengths and surround yourself with people who build you up, while having the confidence to be yourself and address what you need to improve without fear of not measuring up to the so-called social media standard.