In my journey to better health I am convinced that the healthiest thing I have done thus far is to control comparing myself to others. I am sure you think this idea is not entirely new. I have known for many years that this was an idea was something I needed to embrace. I would bet that you have heard it dozens of times yourself.
I have learned, through sad experience, that comparing yourself to others is one of the easiest ways to feel bad about yourself. You see the carefully selected lives of others on social media, television, or even your neighbors and compare yourself unfavorably with what you see. Somehow we are convinced that everyone seems more accomplished and better looking, has a better job, is skinnier, healthier and richer, or just seems to be having a much better time with their life.
These comparisons lead to unhappiness, jealousy, feelings of inadequacy or inferiority. Comparisons cause you to make poor decisions. They cause you to feel greater stress, anxiety, and depression. Seriously, comparing yourself to others sets you up for failure.
When you look around at the success of other’s, you only see the result. More than likely you are looking at years of effort and you are comparing their years on the journey to your beginning. To achieve results you are going to need to walk a similar path. Besides, in comparing yourself to others you are comparing what you think you see in them to what you know about yourself. You forget that it is human nature to put their best selves out there, making themselves look far better to the world than what they feel inside.
It is most important to remember that you have different strengthens and different weakness than others. By comparing yourself to others you are taking the things that make you special and unique and erasing them. “Normal” is a perspective.
I have wasted so much time comparing myself to others. Done with that. I’ve only got so many hours in a day. “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Accept yourself for who you are and improve on that. Live intentionally. Bloom where you are planted.
Resigning as the General Manager of the Universe 