It was Friday when the teacher announced a test that would be held on Monday. Bisma made sure she studied and learnt everything for it.

On Monday, the teacher handed out the test sheets. Bisma, along with the rest of the class, completed the test. Most students felt optimistic about their results. However, Bisma was a bit overconfident.

The next day, when the marked test papers came back, Bisma was happy to see she had scored 17 out of 20, until she heard that one of her classmates had scored 19.

This made Bisma feel a bit uneasy. She had thought she was the topper, but hearing someone else had scored higher took away her joy. She began to doubt herself and her abilities, thinking she hadn’t worked hard enough or wasn’t good enough.

Days passed, but the thought continued to bother her. A few days later, the school announced a speech competition. Despite her insecurities, Bisma prepared for it. On the day of the competition, when her name was called, she went on stage and delivered her speech. But as she came down, she didn’t feel satisfied. Her unease grew as she listened to other students’ speeches. She began finding non-existent flaws in her own performance, thinking her accent wasn’t perfect and her pronunciation wasn’t good enough.

After the competition, there was a snack break. Bisma took her lunch, sat down, and started eating half-heartedly.

Zehra, her friend, noticed the sad look on her face, walked up to her, and asked with concern, “Hey Bisma, what’s up? You look sad. Is everything okay?”

Bisma snapped out of her thoughts and tried to smile bravely. “Yeah, everything’s okay.”

“Are you sure? You know you can share anything with me,” Zehra said gently.

Bisma sighed. “I feel like a failure.”

“What!? Why?” Zehra asked, surprised.

“Because every time I do something, I never seem to get it right. I don’t know why. I try so hard, but still, I always mess something up while others do so much better. Like that test — I studied so hard for it, but I only got 17 marks while others got 19. And that speech today? It was a complete disaster! Others were far better than me,” Bisma bemoaned.

Zehra patiently listened and then said, “Bisma, I think you did a great job in that speech. And about that test, you worked so hard and got good marks. Don’t you remember that all our other classmates, including me, got marks below 15? What you’re doing right now is comparing yourself to others. Haven’t you heard that famous quote, ‘Comparison is the thief of joy’?”

Bisma frowned a little. “Umm… no, I don’t think so.”

Zehra smiled. “It means that when you compare yourself to others, it ruins your happiness and makes you doubt your own hard work. The only person you should compare yourself with is your past self. Tell me, did you deliver this speech better than your last one?”

Bisma thought for a moment and said, “Yes.”

“Exactly,” said Zehra. “You shouldn’t compare yourself to others but to yourself. If you did better, be proud of yourself. And if you didn’t, don’t be too hard on yourself — just try to do better next time.”

Bisma listened to her friend and understood her mistake. Gradually, she started feeling proud of her small achievements, and that helped her become genuinely happy for others.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025