It is so tempting sometimes to compare ourselves to others. Maybe something we feel we’re deficient in, the next girl has. Could be looks; could be personality. Whatever that thing is that you feel you do not have somehow makes us feel we are less than. Like maybe if we did have it we would feel “good enough.”
But the truth is we have to come to a place where we accept ourselves for who we are and those things we possess. We might look around at the world and think we are not enough or that we are different, but the truth is that we were created this way for a reason and it’s up to us to embrace it.
For instance, I was always the “good” girl. Yet I often envied the girls who partied and were popular. Although being a rule-follower was a good way to be, I thought that if I was like them I would be accepted. The truth was I just didn’t accept myself.
What I learned later was that actually being good and focused got me farther than partying and being with the “popular” crowd.
And that’s the thing. You never know how far you could go if you were just to focus on what you have, rather than on what someone else has.
When we compare ourselves to others, we are really neglecting those things we have in ourselves. You may be wanting what someone else has, but someone else may want the very thing that you possess. Comparison can cause us to focus on what we don’t have making it impossible to really enjoy the gifts and talents that we have.
And that, in my opinion, is not the way to live.
We have so much in us that we can enjoy instead of wanting what another person has.
Here’s some things to do to avoid comparison and really start living the life you were given:
Think about what you have
Write a list of your gifts and talents and reflect on it. Maybe you think you have none, but if you search, you will certainly find those things you are good at. Then start using them. Find ways to explore and enjoy the gifts you’ve been given.
Avoid focusing on others, start focusing on yourself
Everyone has been given a path to walk. When we are able to stay in our own lanes and focus on where we are going, we avoid looking at what others have. And when we do this we can be more in tune with our own lives and make decisions that are right – for us.
Accept yourself
Accept all of yourself. Too many times, we are so focused on our weaknesses, mistakes, or shortcomings, that we don’t focus on our strengths. But maybe the best way is to be aware of our weaknesses and our strengths. I think we should accept ourselves just the way we are knowing that even those things we may not like about ourselves are apart of us as well. Learn to embrace even those things you don’t like.
I believe when we can stop comparing ourselves to others and fully accept ourselves, that is the beginning of living life to the fullest.
Just think – there is a whole world out there waiting on you to bring what you have to it.
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