Regardless of what grade you’re in, the first day of school has always been centered around impressions. From impressing new classmates to impressing new teachers, there’s always been underlying pressure to make your mark as you enter into a new school year. In the midst of trying to make good impressions, it’s easy to become consumed with what other people think of us. In doing so, we slowly begin to put up a façade. We pick up on the things people want to see in us and start to shape ourselves to the image of us we think others want. We get thrown into this cycle where we crave the confidence we’ve been told will get us far in life. The only problem is that we too often place our confidence in the wavering identity the world gives us instead of the unique identity that we’ve been given.

The best form of confidence we can have is assurance in the perfectly unique selves we are. The more we try to create ourselves based off of what we think others want to see, the more we lose ourselves along the way. The best version of yourself is cultivated when you’re rooted in who you are and all of the incredible things that make up your true identity. When you take time every day to admire all the quirks and qualities that are wonderfully woven together to make up who you are, you’ll find a deeper affirmation of self worth than you ever could have looking at yourself through the eyes of the world.

None of us are perfect. We’re all messes in our own ways. But we are beautiful messes nonetheless, and everyday we’re given the choice to look at our beautiful mess and see a perfectly, uniquely composed masterpiece or a sloppy craft in the shadow of someone else’s showcase. You are a masterpiece in every way, and your worth could never be compared to that of anyone else. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” There’s so much truth to his words in that the more we compare ourselves to others and seek happiness based on someone else’s standards, the more we miss out on the beautiful journey of discovering who we are and the joy that comes with it.

As you start this school year with the inevitable anxiety of making your mark already swelling up within you, remember not to get consumed in worrying what other people will think of you. You are a wonderfully woven masterpiece, and everyday is a new opportunity to pull back the curtain a little more to reveal the incredible spectacle that is your true self. Step out in boldness this year and seize that opportunity daily. You’ll be amazed at what you uncover when you do.