In a world of “be yourself”s and “you’re the best you”s

There comes a day

When the message arrives

Subtle but all the same clear

There to tell you that all those motivational phrases

Are no more than complete and utter hogwash

Yes, the message arrives

In its own special way

Perhaps on your last APUSH exam

Or ACT scores

But regardless of the messenger, the message remains obvious and clear

“You’re not good enough”

The words will not appear written anywhere

They’ll be but a mere whisper you hear

Probably somewhere in your subconscious

Though it may just be Dr. Hosmer’s voice carrying across the room

But in any case, the words come

Harsh, cold, and there to remind you

“You’re not good enough”

Yes, we’re raised in a world of “be yourself”s

But what if the self that if your self

Is not as good as the self that is her self?

I mean, the self that is her self taught herself how to play piano at the age of five

In the spare time she had between her calculus class and her part time job rescuing refugees from troubled countries

Meanwhile the self that if your self spent your childhood

Trying to catch all 150 Pokémon

And still failing because you had no one to trade with

The self that is your self is suddenly thrust into a world

Where good grades are okay and perfect grades are barely cutting it

Where people start to go by score rather than by name

Where Harvard and Yale and Princeton and a thousand other places

Swirl around your head in a repeated fog

All while you’re trying to catch your breath

Meanwhile the message hangs clear above your head

Flashing in neon letters

“You’re not good enough”

No, not nearly enough

You suddenly find yourself struggling in a race

You didn’t know you’d entered

 Where that one club you joined isn’t going to cut it

And those hours spent tending your grandpa’s garden don’t mean a thing

Because you could have been out there

Being the “best you you can be”, only better

Because now it’s written in the clouds

It’s on every paper

And every wall

And every counselor’s face

“You’re not good enough”

Until one day

The self that is yourself

Takes a breath

And learns to do the hardest thing

By lowering your expectations

And accepting your limitations

And learning to smile at what you can do

Instead of crying at what you can not

That’s the day

That the self that is yourself

Will finally look in the mirror

Shoulders squared

Head held high

Eyes dry

And be able to say

“I’m good enough for me”