When I saw this prompt, I quickly remembered a friend of mine back then in secondary school. Her name is Joy. Joy is such an intelligent young lady. She was the head girl at the time and, at the same time, the class captain. Nobody could stand her in any subject. She's just so good. Me, on the other hand, I am an average learner who is obsessed with trying to be a fast learner. I desired what Joy had so much that it made me jealous of her. I don't usually talk to her, and the problem is not actually from her, but the problem is from me. I don't give her a friendly face. I'm always cold towards her, and it almost feels like the more I try to beat her, the harder it becomes. She's just there doing her thing, and I'm just here envying her.
And finally, our annual challenge competition has arrived. This is a competition where our school and a neighbouring school used to compete every year: SS3 against SS3, SS2 against SS2, and SS1 against SS1. We get to have different questions from different subjects, and five students are picked in each class to represent their class. For my class, the SS3, of course, Joy was picked, and I was also picked with the remaining three students. We were to represent our class, and so it was our responsibility to win.
I was never picked for such a challenge before. It was actually my first time, so, as usual, we set out three times to meet and rehearse every week. During the rehearsals, Joy was like our guide, but I always ignored her. So, one day, something happened. It appeared that the three students did not come to school, and we were supposed to meet that day for rehearsal. As it happened, it was only Joy and me at the rehearsal. I told her that since nobody was around, we should just go home, but she insisted that we had to do something. She started guiding me on what to do, and because I already had a problem with her, I burst out and began to shout at her, telling her she could not tell me what to do.
They say the only time you know what a person really wants to tell you is when you have a misunderstanding with that person. I let out everything that was in my mind to tell her.
Now, the thing is that Joy is an easygoing kind of person. It almost felt like she understood me, and so her reaction was very unexpected. I expected her to give me back the same energy so we could pick a fight, but no, she didn't. She came close to me and talked to me like a therapist. Her words were soft and, at the same time, piercing. As hot as my temper was at that time, I could still understand and comprehend what she was saying, and deep within me, I knew she was saying the right thing.
I went home that day angry and confused. I was actually thinking about the whole thing, and so I went to school the next day and called her aside. I apologised to her, and, of course, she accepted it. She offered that we spend a little time together so we could know each other more. We started to hang out together, study together, and do most of our things together. I was beginning to understand the kind of person she was. I was beginning to see what I had been missing all those while. Our studying together had opened my brain to a much greater dimension that I cannot even explain. I became ten times better than I was, and soon enough, the day for the competition arrived. We had a competition with the SS3 students from the neighbouring school, and we came first. I actually participated actively, all thanks to Joy, the one person I was envying.
I wish I had known this before now. Instead of envying her, I should have worked with her and celebrated her so I could also achieve the same thing with her.
That experience changed the way I feel about other people's success. Every success should be celebrated and not envied.
Posted Using INLEO
