The Destructive Art of Comparison
Do you compare yourself to others? Do you see the accomplishments and success of others and ask yourself “why not me?” If you do, I’m here to give you some encouragement. Your time is coming. We all have our own journey which should not be compared to anyone else’s journey. You may only be at chapter five of your journey, yet you are comparing yourself to chapter twenty of someone else’s journey.
We all sometimes have a tendency to look at others, especially those close to our age, and see what they have accomplished, or the life that they currently live, and compare our situation to theirs. We think “I should have accomplished more by now.” We see their lives and ask ourselves what we are doing wrong, when in reality, we are not doing anything wrong. The fact is, their journey is their own, and although you see this mountain of “success,” you do not see the part of the mountain that is underground or underwater that represents sacrifices, hard work, determination, resiliency, fortitude, late nights, prayers, and so on. We also oftentimes compare ourselves to others from a physical standpoint. How many times have we said, or heard others say the following:
“I wish I had a body like hers.”
“I wish my hair was long like hers.”
“I wish I had her skin.”
“I wish I was as tall as him.”
“I wish my beard looked like his.”
The destructive art of comparing ourselves to others can often lead to unhappiness and jealousy. We far too often get caught up in the lives of others, instead of reflecting on what has transpired in our own lives, oftentimes forgetting just how far we have come. We need to breathe, take a step back, and really look at all that we have accomplished. While it is admirable to want to improve and keep moving forward to create the life that you want and desire, remember to take inventory of your life to see just how far you have come. Reflection is necessary to keep us on path and to remind us of just how magical and amazing we truly are.
Tell yourself how proud you are of you and how wonderful you are. Remind yourself of how much you have already accomplished, and how much more you are going to accomplish, because you will accomplish more than you can even imagine. Trust that. And most importantly, maintain an attitude of gratitude. And in these moments, it’s you vs. you. Not you vs. everyone else. The only real competition you have is you.
We all experience self-doubts and fears that get the best of us now and then, and even the most confident people feel insecure sometimes. We must remember however, that the only game you can truly win is being you, which brings about true happiness. We must be our biggest supporters, but always remember to cheer on others for their accomplishments and success. It means that it is in the air, and it just a matter of time because you reach your success.
Life is about being the best version of you; being a better version of yourself today than you were yesterday, and tomorrow being a better version of yourself than you were today. When you remember this, your energy and efforts go towards upgrading yourself, and not worrying about what others are doing, what they have, and so on. You become happier and free from the bondage of comparison. You are not meant to be like anyone else, or to have the same journey as anyone else. Embrace that. Embrace you. Stop comparing yourself to others.
