“Every minute you spend wishing you had someone else’s life, is a minute spent wasting yours” -Anonymous
Most people are familiar with the quote by Theodore Roosevelt “comparison is the thief of joy”, and as simple as it is, the message behind it is large and full of meaning. Roosevelt chose to use the word joy over happiness because happiness is only seasonal; it comes and goes as our mood changes. However, joy is a feeling of great pleasure. So even when you may be at your lowest point, joy can still be within you because you know where your strength comes from. This is important to know because when you add comparison to your life, you rob yourself of true joy. You will only have “happy” moments and never feel fully complete.
Never compare your beginning to someone else’s middle. Often times things are usually not what they seem. Most importantly you do not know the struggle, hustle, or possible immoral things a person has done to get to where they are.
Combat The Spirit Of Comparison
Focus on the positive: When you see someone’s accomplishment, force yourself to say positive things and focus on the good. Get excited about what they are doing! You can say things like “good for them!” or “Wow! I love this new project they are doing!” Saying these things out loud will stop the negative thoughts in your mind in their tracks before they begin to overwhelm you. It may not be sincere at first, but if you continue to speak positively you will eventually change the way you think and it will become genuine.
Get inspired: Rather than feeling negative about yourself when seeing others do great, use them as inspiration! Write out your goals and create a realistic plan on how you will accomplish them. Research shows that you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals and dreams, simply by writing them down on a regular basis.
Take a break: If your mental health is truly being affected, you may need to stop following certain people or even take some time away from social media for a while. Work on your self-esteem. This can be done by seeing a therapist, spending time with close family and friends, or even simply spending time alone to regroup.
Moral of the story, work on getting to know and falling in love with the person staring back at you in the mirror. A million people can tell you how wonderful you are, but only you the have to power to truly believe and embrace your awesomeness. Once you learn to truly see the beauty in yourself, you will appreciate the beauty in others without feeling inferior or the need to compare yourself .
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