We are inundated with articles, quotes and pretty Instagram posts telling us that comparison is a sure way to ruin our day, and they’re right – so why do we still do it? Why isn’t it clicking for us?
One of the most famous quotes about it is from Theodore Roosevelt (a past American president) who said: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
And isn’t it just?
Oh and just FYI, this wise guy said that waaaaay before social media was ever a thing. Imagine what he would say now. What more is it stealing from us these days? It hurts to even think about it.
But the thing is your story is unique and beautiful, and you can’t be told that enough.
So, if you’re still struggling with daily comparison, here’s a few reasons why the comparison game shouldn’t be welcome in your life.
The first thing you need to know, is about yourself:
You need reminding how intricately unique and therefore insanely valuable your life is. Right where you are, right now – not when you pass that exam, get that job, meet that person (ahem). Not sometime in the future when you feel like you have things more figured out. Not when you feel like you’re finally where you’re meant to be.
Not then. More like right now.
I think that this truth sounds crazy to us because the lies are SO familiar; that we’re not where we should be by now. That we’re not doing as well as we should be. That we’re not living in our potential yet. That the world seems to have things figured out and so why don’t we?
Any of those sound familiar? Yeah? Thought so.
These lies settle in us and then lead us to look at others and think that they don’t struggle with the exact same lies. Well, disclaimer: they do. We all do.
So maybe, just maybe, if we replaced these familiar old lies with some crazy-sounding truth, we may not get tempted to compare ourselves so often. Maybe getting rid of these lies is our starting point.
So let’s do it. Right now.
What are the lies that you’re believing about yourself and your life? They may be so familiar that you don’t even notice them anymore. Get deep, what are they?
Now it’s truth time.
Because deep down, you must know how amazing you are! Let’s not be modest, do you think that God is shy with his thoughts about you? No! He’s proud of His masterpiece, He’s delighted in his child, He’s excited about His creation. He made you and boy did He make you good.
If you feel different, great, the world was clearly missing something. We needed you.
Take some time, make a date with God, get some truth in you.
And then take another quick look at the other people you’re comparing yourself to;
Don’t envy them, celebrate them. Now that you know that you are exactly who you’re meant to be, you know that they are also exactly who they’re meant to be. Let’s celebrate each other, point out the beauty in each other, empower each other.
Let’s put less effort into being interesting, and more effort into being interested. This is the surest way to kick comparison in the face.
Their victories are not our losses.
Their strengths are not our weaknesses.
Comparison tells us that because their success looks a certain way, we must not be having any, because ours doesn’t look a thing like that. That’s simply not true. God tells us that if their success looks that way, that’s because he’s doing something amazing with them, and he’s doing something totally different but equally amazing with us.
If we saw ourselves the way God see’s us, we would quickly realise that comparison makes zero sense, and that is why it ain’t welcome here.
