Let’s think about something real and quite important today—something I genuinely believe is stealing a lot of our joy and happiness: the habit of comparing ourselves to other people.
We’ve all done it at some point in our lives. Perhaps you’re actively doing it right now, without even realizing it. You scroll through your social media feeds and see someone online seemingly living their “best life,” and suddenly, your own life feels small and insignificant in comparison. It can leave you feeling like you’re not enough or that you’re missing out on experiences that others are enjoying.
But here’s the important truth we need to remember: When you constantly compare yourself to others, you lose sight of your unique joy and experiences. You start to overlook the beautiful moments, the personal growth, and the delightful things that are already present in your life. Comparison is so much like wearing someone else’s glasses; everything looks blurry and distorted. These lenses were not crafted for your eyes, and that’s why they distort your vision of what you truly want in life, of what genuinely makes you happy. Embracing YOUR journey is the key to finding fulfillment.
If you find that you’ve been chasing goals that were never yours and chasing timelines that don’t fit your path, little by little, you lose connection with your joy. And here’s the catch: even if you “catch up” to someone else’s life, it still won’t feel like yours. Because it’s not. The only real way to measure your growth— the only way to reconnect with joy- is to compare yourself to the person you were yesterday. That’s it.
Imagine trying to fully enjoy a peaceful walk through your favorite park, but you’re constantly distracted by glancing over at someone else’s trail and the pace they are traveling. As a result, you end up missing the vibrant flowers 🌼 along your path. You overlook the warm sunlight streaming through the gently swaying trees. Most importantly, you miss out on your joy because your eyes and thoughts are fixated elsewhere. But when you take a moment to bring your focus back to your current path and your unique pace, suddenly, the walk transforms and becomes beautiful once again.
So, if you’ve been caught in the trap of comparison lately, know that it’s perfectly okay; we all stumble into it sometimes. However, it’s crucial to come back to yourself. Compare yourself to who you were in the past, not to who someone else is right now. And when you do that, you’ll start to see just how far you’ve truly come and, more importantly, how much beauty already exists in your life. Remember, joy isn’t found out there on other people’s paths; it’s firmly rooted on your path, and it flourishes every single time you honor your journey.
You’ve got this!