We’ve all been there. If you are anything like 99% of young adults, chances are that you’ve compared yourself to either a friend, sibling, or relative (or maybe even just a random passerby you saw walking across campus) more often than you’d like to confess.
I’ll own up to it. Who hasn’t seen someone who appears to have it more “together” than you do, or someone who has something that you want, and assessed yourself in comparison to that person? It’s an innate aspect of human nature, the desire to see how precisely you line up with the people who surround you. However, this seemingly innocent act is part of a toxic, cyclic game.
When you compare yourself to other people, you are ignoring the fact that life is not a competition. Life, in fact, has never been a competition, but society develops it into one, and pretty soon, you find yourself concerned chiefly with how you appear in reference to others. When we feed into this dangerous, obsessive mindset, we ignore the fact that the only person we should be comparing ourselves to is our younger self, to see how we have grown, evolved, and developed.
I am done with the self-comparison game, and you should be too. Perhaps there’s always going to be someone who is more “successful,” or more “beautiful,” or more “well-liked.” And that’s fine. Because what other people do with your life shouldn’t really matter to you. Put yourself first. You are your greatest asset. Remember that. You don’t need the validation of comparing yourself to anyone to prove to yourself that you’re doing well, or alternately, that you’re not making strides. People grow at different rates. Life unfolds for different people at different times. All you have to do is worry about who you are now, and who you were before. And if there’s progress, in the right direction, then you have succeeded. Ignore what everyone else is doing and cheer for yourself!
You really are that awesome. And if that’s not something to celebrate, then I don’t know what is.
