Chapter 13: Marks are just numbers

 

"Don't let a bad grade define your intelligence, let it refine your strategy."-Unknown.

Growing up, I was taught that success was measured in numbers the marks you scored in school, the grades you achieved, the rank you held. It felt like a race, one where I had to constantly keep up, if not outpace others. Each test, every exam became a way to define my worth. The pressure to perform was heavy, not just from teachers and peers, but also from myself. When I was not able to score high marks I felt like I was failing everybody around me because that is what I was taught in school. Our educational system,at a young age forces students to focus on gaining marks rather than focusing on what they like or what they are good at.

I remember how a bad grade could ruin my entire mood, and how a good one could momentarily fill me with happiness and pride. But as I moved through school and into college, I started questioning this system. How could a single test, or even a series of them, determine who I was or what I was capable of? The idea that my entire future could be shaped by these numbers felt both overwhelming and unfair. 

There were times when I gave everything to a subject and still didn’t get the marks I thought I deserved. Other times, I coasted through an exam and scored well. It felt random, inconsistent, like chasing a target that kept shifting. And in those moments of disappointment, I learned something important: my marks didn’t tell the whole story.

They couldn’t measure the hours I spent trying to understand a concept, or the growth I experienced when I finally did. Marks were just one part of a much larger picture. As I let go of the belief that marks defined me, I began to focus on other things on learning for the sake of learning, on pursuing my passions, and on growing as a person. I realized that while marks might open doors but it’s what you bring to the table once you’re through those doors that really matters. Your kindness, your determination, your ability to connect with others these are the things that define you, not the numbers on a paper.

Looking back, I see that the pressure to achieve good marks shaped me in ways both good and bad. It taught me discipline, but it also taught me that failure is a part of growth. Now, I understand that success isn’t just about grades. It’s about how you handle challenges, how you adapt, and how you keep moving forward, regardless of the numbers. Learn to learn for knowledge and not for numbers.