The beginning of my journalism career was not all sunshine and rainbows. I only signed up for journalism my freshman year due to thorough convincing from my parents. “You’re good at writing, you like it and you need to have a commitment” they reiterated countless times. With a twinge of excitement and no alternate class in mind, I reluctantly agreed, and ENG2053A/B made its way into my schedule.
I was nervous to say the least. What if I’m not a good enough writer? What if I never get published? Up to this point, my writing was purely “English class writing” characterized by personal essays and short stories, starkly different from journalistic writing. How will I know how to write an article correctly? (That’s what the class is for, duh, but I suppose all rationale had gone out the window.)
But when my freshman year ended online, I didn’t feel confident enough in my journalistic writing actually to write for the Observer starting sophomore year. My fears grew after not being published for the first two issues of the 2021-22 school year. I compared myself to my peers, wondering why I was ranked last on the list while they were published on the front page for the first time. I was frustrated and upset with myself. Was I no longer good at writing?
Negative thoughts swirled in my head as I struggled to grasp that not being published wasn’t the end of the world. I tried to shift my focus to how I could improve instead of beating myself up for not being an excellent writer immediately.
Although some people have characterized me as a pessimistic person (cough cough, Jeremy), this shift in mindset is essential to seeing the positive in situations. I started to focus on myself, solely worrying about my progress, instead of comparing myself to my peers. I realized that I had a whole three years of journalism ahead of me, and I was bound to get published eventually. All that mattered was that my writing was improving.
Slowly but surely, I became more confident in my abilities and started getting published regularly. Instead of seeing my fellow staff members as people I had to “outdo” to get a spot in the coveted newspaper, I learned from them and stepped into a community of people who truly wanted to help each other. Mere staff members turned into friends, and I grew to love journalism. I looked forward to everything from breaking the next big news story to brainstorming to making jokes with my friends during class.
The overused saying “comparison is the thief of joy” used to make me roll my eyes. Comparison is not inherently wrong; I never understood why people would use that phrase. However, as I’ve spent my four years at WCHS, I really took that saying to heart. Much like how I compared myself to my fellow newspaper staff, WCHS is a school full of comparison.
Students constantly compare grades, SAT scores, the amount of AP classes they take, etc., and it can get exhausting. I would be lying if I said I no longer compare myself to others, but an important lesson I learned throughout high school and being on the Observer is that it’s okay not to be “the best.” There will always be someone with more extracurriculars than you or someone who does better than you on that test. And breaking news: that’s okay!
I know it’s way easier said than done. It’s tough not to fall into the comparison trap when you’re surrounded by it. But I’ve learned that going at your own pace is critical. Surround yourself with people who will support you, it makes the journey much less daunting. It’s important to remember that sometimes friendship and resilience make the front page, not the picture-perfect story.
