We live in a world where comparison is easy to get trapped into. With all the social media outputs included, there’s an endless amount of ways to get caught up in the comparison game; and let’s be honest, that’s a game that none of us really want to get sucked into – but unfortunately, we still do.
Just like many others, I’m guilty of doing this and overtime I’ve come to realize how terribly unhealthy this can be to my personal health and growth. I’ve also learned that constant reminders that I don’t always know the struggles behind a story or post when those comparing thoughts come into mind has created a powerful shift to end that “in the moment” comparison.
Comparison can happen in basically any aspect of your life
Maybe you see someone working in a field that you’ve always wanted to be in and wonder why you’re still working somewhere that doesn’t spark your fire.
Maybe you compare your appearance to someone else and wonder why you don’t look “as good” as them.
Maybe you compare your financial status to that of a close friend of yours and wonder why you aren’t more financially stable like them.
Or maybe you see a picture of someone in Bali having the vacation of a lifetime and wonder why that can’t be you.
We all do this, in one area of our life or another. No one person should feel alone in this but it’s very important to acknowledge what we’re doing to our personal health and growth when we get caught up in the comparison game, and to find strategies to unplug from it.
Comparison can hurt
When I catch myself comparing to others, it makes me feel like I’m not enough, like I’m not doing enough. It would leave me in a state of doubt and sadness, and it would consume my mind with negativity of myself.
I began to realize how unfair I was making myself feel by judging my own story to someone else’s and by doing this comparison it wasn’t benefiting my own life by any means, it was just making me feel bad about myself.
I decided I needed to address this issue and make a change. A really important message I had to relay to myself was that I was only in control of my own story, that whatever I knew about someone else’s life is THEIR story and not MINE and neither one of those stories are perfect. People tend to present the highlights of their lives more than the hardships and we may not always remember that when we get caught up in comparing ourselves.
We don’t always know the struggles behind the stories
The one you compared yourself to working in the field of your dreams? Maybe they spent countless sleep-deprived nights studying or training for the position they’ve obtained only to realize that it’s just not as great as they expected.
The beautiful girl you compare yourself to? Maybe she struggles with her physical appearance too, and doesn’t feel nearly as pretty as you think she is.
That friend of yours with the high financial status? Maybe he grew up in a home of low income and missed out on many social events, working to make a more financially stable future for himself.
That person having a trip of a lifetime in Bali? Maybe they’re going through a tough time in their life, and scrounged up every last dollar so that they could just “escape” for a while.
It’s so easy to look at someone else’s life and think that they have it all together. But the truth is, you never know what struggles or challenges they may be facing too.
You control your own story
You most often don’t know the true struggles behind most stories, just as most might not know about yours. So try not to allow yourself to become too consumed and fixated on someone else’s story because not only may you not know the whole truth to it but it’s also not YOUR story.
Your life can be something great. You can achieve anything you set your heart & mind to and there are so many different opportunities and experiences out there that you can have. It’s important to allow yourself to celebrate others achievements and greatness, but make sure you can also celebrate yours.
So remind yourself of this next time you’re caught up in the comparison game: It’s their story, not yours & you have all the power in your heart and mind to create and do the things that will bring your life your very own abundance of bliss. 😊
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