I encountered yet another person who brags about how she was voted “most likely to succeed,” by  high school kids some 20 years ago.

I’m always puzzled as to why somebody brags about such thing when, for example, she is a struggling single mother, trying to make ends meet, working at a place she can’t stand anybody who works there. Oh yeah, you COULD argue that the meaning of “success” isn’t the same for everyone and how rich or how famous is not the only measure of success. Yeah, I’m sure most of those high school kids had that  in mind when they voted. Please.

I’m very relieved that I was never voted as such. As a matter of fact, there was no such thing when I was in high school in Korea. Otherwise, I would have been voted the most likely to win the hot dog eating contest or something. But if I had ever been voted “the person most likely to succeed,” I’d never speak a word of it to anybody. Because if I did, I’m afraid people would try their darnest to stop themselves from saying something like, “Oh congratulations! Now the only thing left for YOU to do is to actually BECOME successful!” or “What a shame, eh? that you turned out like this?” or “So were you voted the most unexpectedly not successful at your high school reunion?” or “Another reason why not everybody should be given a vote” or “Guess they should have voted you most likely to disappoint, eh?”, etc, etc.

Oh no, I don’t think I’m a failure. But I don’t particularly feel that I’ve achieved the level of “the most successful” out of hundreds of high  school classmates I graduated with, you know? Not to mention even remotely successful. I’m just a normal, average middle class single woman… OK, fine, scratch that normal, but you get my drift.

I’m not saying people shouldn’t share this bit of information about themselves. On the contrary, I like to know this kind of tidbits about people when getting to know them. Nor am I saying struggling single mothers are failures. God knows how many happy single mothers are there who struggle daily but whose lives are filled with love and joy and happiness, who lead much more fulfilling and meaningful life than I ever could. Honestly, I don’t know anybody I would label as a failure. Life IS very complicated and mysterious. Oh I know.

And do you know what else I know? I know when bragging is taking place as opposed to sharing information about oneself. I just don’t like brags. Some people don’t seem to understand that we can tell when they are bragging. We KNOW. So stop bragging you were voted most likely to succeed 20 years ago by a bunch of high school kids.  It makes your life seem pathetic to have THAT as the highlight of your life.