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Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

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comparing-yourself

Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Comparing yourself to others steals joy. I have personally experienced this in many areas of my life. Stop comparing yourself to others and start living life on your terms.

My Story

How many of you compare yourself to others? I’m sure you have played the comparison game at some time in your life.

After I compare myself to others, I usually feel sad, less than, not good enough, and tore up inside. I am not ashamed to admit this.

I don’t want to bore you with my story, but I want you to know that I have compared myself to others in the following areas:

Note: Sharing three areas; not the only ones.

My Website

Personality begins where comparison leaves off. Be unique. Be memorable. Be confident. Be proud.” – Shannon L. Alder

I recently changed the look of my site, and while making the changes, I became unsure about, design, colors, and the overall vibe.

I looked at other sites and compared. The joy I had for creating my site became non-existent, though it was short-lived.  All because of comparison.

I eventually dumped the comparison game and did what felt right.

My Daughter

Try not to get lost in comparing yourself to others. Discover your gifts and let them shine.” – Jennie Finch

Most of you who’ve been following my blog for any length of time, know that my daughter has Trisomy 21.

I had a bad habit of comparing my daughter to other children. But I finally stopped because I got tired of being down and not having any joy.

I focus on her strengths; which leaves no room for comparing her with others.expectations-mom-daughter

Social Media

Comparing yourself to others is an act of violence against your authentic self.” – Iyanla Vanzant

I could not end my story without mentioning social media.

I don’t spend a lot of time on social media sites that cause me to easily fall into the comparison trap.

I keep my focus on the positive and keep it moving.

Stop Playing the Comparison Game

You know my story, but now I share with you a few ways you can lay the comparison game to rest.

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of someone else.” – Judy Garland

Always be your authentic self.

Focus on what you have.

Remind yourself of your accomplishments.

Keep this thought in the forefront. Anything that appears good, isn’t always as good as it seems.

Cultivate your gifts and talents.

Avoid situations that cause you to compare yourself to others.

Fill your mind with positive thoughts. When a negative thought enters your mind, catch and release it.

Be grateful for the little things as well as for the big things.

Let nothing or no one take your joy away.

Always have a prayer of thanksgiving in your heart.

The next time comparison pays you a visit, tell comparison, “You don’t live here anymore.”

Nothing will kill what you’ve been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.” – Beth Moore.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sooooo much life in this post!!! Thank you for your transparency! A lot of folks can improve their quality of life with this short power packed writing. Well done and Thank you!!!!!!!!!!
    William Batts – On The Couch Radio

  2. Awesome Post Evelyn. In India kids are brought up with comparasion only. Our society is like that and they criticize those who are incomparable. Because they are unique

  3. You definitely have to be you because we never know anyone else well enough to be them. I’ll still look at a lot of sites for ideas to see if there’s something I might want to implement but in the end I’m going to do what I want to do… as long as I’m not mixing pinks and greens. 😉

    • That’s true, Mitch! I was looking at sites second guessing myself/ideas/vision I had. I don’t see anything wrong with looking at sites to get ideas. I was worried about the appearance, but I’m over that now. I simply went with what I wanted to do and what felt right.

      It would feel strange visiting your site, seeing pink and green, because I know you do not like those colors. Colors have meanings and if I saw pink and green on your site, I would think you work with women and that you are in the healthy living industry. 🙂

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing!

      Take care,
      Evelyn

  4. Thank you for sharing this. Comparison is the enemy of progress and is extremely counter productive. We all have our own journey that takes us on our own unique path. I think understanding the aforementioned point allows us to look at our lives through our own lens. I was blessed by your story.

    • Hi, Brandon!

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment!

      My heart smiles knowing that you were blessed by my story.

      Much success on your book launch!!