This is a generation where your best is not enough, success justifies constant stress, and if you are not first, you’re last. The pressure to rise above your peers whether it’s in academics, sports, or other activities, too often leads to insecurity, anxiety, and very little self-confidence. At least for me it did. By placing my identity and self-worth in my capabilities, I struggled with never feeling “good enough”. I allowed my self-doubt keep me from chasing my dreams, afraid that if I failed, I would be incapable of settling with the fact that I was not enough. Not only did I constantly compare myself to those around me because I felt the need to rise to the same level, but I also kept myself from taking risks because I feared rejection. For so long I just wanted to feel accepted by society’s standards, but the hardest part about facing self-doubt and insecurity, was that I could not accept myself. I never felt like I was good enough. I never felt worthy of praise or compliments because I always felt like whatever I did, there was someone who did it better. As I grow older, I’m realizing more and more that being a teenage girl is tough. There is this constant burden of feeling the need to prove myself worthy, like I have to work towards the approval of others. I still have yet to meet the moment where I can confidently express myself without the fear of what others will think of me. But the beauty of it all, is that I’m learning.