“Comparison is the thief of joy.” Theodore Roosevelt
Comparing yourself to others is as human as any other emotion and can quickly become a dangerous habit that is hard to break. It’s important to remember that being inspired by an individual is not the same as comparing yourself to an individual, inspiration fills you up, comparison empties you.
I am the perfect example of someone who used to spend far too much time using other people as a benchmark for my own happiness. It started off quite innocently with small comparisons that I’m sure we have all made at some point. While I was in school, I would compare my appearance, academic achievement and possessions with others. When I graduated, I added career choices, travel and relationships and once I became a parent I added parenting styles, houses and money into the mix so I was quickly falling down an endless rabbit hole of comparisons.
When you focus on what other people are doing you will virtually always end up on the losing side of the comparison because there will always be someone who has something that you want. Not only do these comparisons steal your joy but research has found that it creates feelings of envy, low-self-confidence, and depression which was exactly how I was feeling. The below tips have really helped me turn my daily struggle of comparing into a sometimes struggle and I hope they can help you too!
Thanks for reading and make sure you share your smile with the world today ☮