The great Theodore Roosevelt once said that “comparison is the thief of joy.” These almost prophetic words send a warning to everyone alive to avoid the inclination we all have to compare ourselves to others. But how can we avoid this tendency when we were raised our entire lives being compared to our peers? Children are first introduced to comparisons when they are graded in school and then ranked according to their numeric standing. Athletes are ranked by their talents and then pitted against each other to see who will come out ahead. And the comparisons continue when we enter the work place with employees trying to outdo each other to earn higher pay. It’s only natural that when our lives have been filled with comparisons these same issues will spill over into social media, after all, now we can compare ourselves real time against our online friends. Before you lose all hope, however, and resign yourself to the unhappiness that comparisons bring to your life, consider these tips to regain your happiness and stop comparing yourself to your peers. The foolishness of comparisons Consider this situation, a man just wins a local election and gives his acceptance speech. During the speech, his opponent jumps on the stage and announces that this is the first election he’s ever lost yet his opponent has regularly been beaten. This situation sounds ridiculous but it highlights just how foolish comparisons can be and how you appear to others if you fall into their trap. Be confident in your own successes Everyone has something they are good at and no matter if you are good at video games, writing or a skilled doctor you have your own set of talents you can offer to the world. Your successes are not dependent on the recognition of others to be legitimate and this is what you must remember. Acknowledge and value your own successes internally and avoid the need to seek the recognition of others. Value your successes and use them to pursue additional success within your life. Seek a higher goals Society has fostered a mentality of competition with people of all ages. This sense of competition inundates every part of our lives and drives us to focus on beating our neighbor instead of helping them to be successful. If you find yourself in this predicament where your life is consumed with winning at all costs it is time to reassess your definition of a successful life and strive towards a higher goal like generosity towards others and helping the needy. Combine our efforts as a team Competition can be an all-consuming pastime when you allow it to take over your life. But if people would stop competing then imagine what the world could accomplish. When people combine their talents and work together towards a goal, the sum of all our efforts will be greater than what any one person could accomplish on their own. Nobody in the world is perfect Social media has given us the tools to connect with people worldwide. Sometimes these tools are beneficial and aid with fundraising and announcing special events but there is always the tendency for humans to compare themselves when a tidbit of information is shared. Allow the friend to share their moment in the spotlight and resist the urge to post your own similar accomplishment so that your friend may experience the moment similar to you. It is unfortunate that we’ve been indoctrinated since birth to compare and contrast ourselves with our peers. But, if we get beyond the struggle to compare, you will see great returns in happiness for yourself and those around you. If you want to Escape The Comparing mentality, make sure to grab a copy of 'The Comparing Game". :) Comments are closed.
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