Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

How many projects did you decide you were going to get into when quarantine first started? I know I had a long list of things I was going to do. 

You want to know how many I have done? Approximately 2 to 3 of the 50 plus projects I had planned. 

When I open Instagram or Facebook I see people who have successfully started new businesses, have done a million and one home projects, have basically set up a schoolhouse for their kids, are writing books, and lots of other things. 

My first reaction when I  see these things is to compare myself to them. Seeing all that people are accomplishing while I am just making it through my day teaching and continuing to try to build my health coaching business makes me feel like I am not good enough. 

I  compare myself to these people and wonder why I am not getting more done. Am I not allocating my time well? Am I not ambitious enough? Am I just straight up lazy?

I finally realized that none of this matters. I cannot compare myself to other people. 

Learning not to compare myself to other people has been something I have been working on for most of my life. I was a competitive swimmer growing up so it was necessary to compare myself to others so I could strive to do my best. Unlearning that behavior has been some of the hardest work I have had to do.

The tendency to compare ourselves to others is as human as any other emotion. But it only steals joy from our lives. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Over time, I have learned that the only thing I can control is myself. Looking at other people and comparing my life to their life only wastes my energy. Typically when I compare myself to others I am comparing their best to my worst. How can you ever win against a highlight reel?

We are all human beings but what each one of us brings to the table is going to be unique and different. So truly, there is no way to compare that. 

Instead, let’s all try to appreciate our own gifts and talents. Spend your time focusing on being the best version of yourself without comparing yourself to others. Focus on growing a little bit each day because it is what is best for you. There is freedom when you stop comparing yourself to others. After all, the most important things in life are internal and not external.