I found this quote a while ago on Pinterest and thought it rang so true. In the age of Facebook, blogs, Pinterest, and Instagram we are now more privy to people's lives than ever before. However, it can be difficult to remember that we are only seeing what people choose to share. And of course, they are going to choose to share the only very best version of themselves that'll look pretty on the screen.
I have found that sometimes, living in the world of all that internet media, you can be lost in a sea of comparison. You compare your life, body, or accomplishments to other's lives on Facebook. You compare your home or your income on blogs and you compare your abilities on Pinterest.
It can be depressing, at times, if you allow yourself to compare your life to others because no matter what you'll always come up short in your own opinion of yourself. I'll admit that at times I find myself doing this and I have to pull myself out of it.
For a while after I got married, I became subconsciously obsessed with comparing myself to others because I was so disappointed in my own lack of accomplishments.
"Oh, she's going to grad school... what am I doing with my life???"
"He/She's got a great job and here I am, sitting in my apartment doing nothing with my life."
"I've got a degree and nothing to show for it but debt."
It can be a vicious cycle if you let it. And, I still do it to a degree but I think as long as so much media is a constant part of our lives, it's going to keep happening. We just have to work to keep those jealous feelings at bay. We have to be thankful for what we do have and (try to) live our own lives without comparison.
Living without comparison is hard because we live in such a competitive society. Everyone wants to be right, have the best ideas, and be the most original. Everyone wants to have the most beautiful home, best job, best car, and best family life. There's always going to be someone who has better things or has more and that can be a tough pill to swallow on its own but seeing it plastered on blogs, Facebook, or Pinterest can make it even more difficult to escape the inevitable habit of comparison.
By comparing ourselves to others, we really are stunting our own growth and creativity. It really does inhibit your life and your happiness. And the only way for us to be truly happy is to live our own lives to our best ability.
Does anyone else ever feel the sting of comparison in their own lives?
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