Life’s all fun and games… until you start thinking that someone else’s life consists of more fun and more games.

I have a confession: I am GREAT at the comparison game. I play it all the time. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I wasn’t playing it.

See an Instagram picture? Compare.

Hear a story about someone else? Compare.

Walk by a couple holding hands? Compare.

Make the best grade on a test? Compare.

The comparison game seems unavoidable. Of course I compare myself to that girl who goes to the state school with the perfect hair and perfect wardrobe and perfect friends and perfect life. Of course I compare myself to that snapshot of a happy relationship because I can’t be okay with not having one myself. Of course I compare myself to the other students in my major - after all, my future might depend on having a better GPA than they do.

In a world full of labels, we’re told to categorize ourselves: I’m prettier than she is, but I weigh more than that other girl. I’m smarter than this person, but I have way less friends than she does. Find where you fit in the insane social hierarchy and never, ever be happy with your ranking. Claw your way up the ladder by knocking other people off of it. You’re never enough. You’re never enough. You’re never enough.

I have a confession: I hate playing the comparison game. I play it all the time, and it never makes me happy.

Here’s the thing - it’s all a lie. That other girl’s Instagram picture doesn’t show her when she lies on her bed crying at night because she spent another day thinking that she was worthless. That other person’s success doesn’t mean they don’t have failures of their own. That couple on the sidewalk could be in love for the rest of their lives or they could break up tomorrow. The grade you make on a test doesn’t determine your worth as a person. It’s all a lie.

You know what would be the most radical thing to do in a world full of labels? To stop categorizing yourself. To stop comparing yourself. To stop considering your worth in terms of another person. To stop playing a game with no winners and lots of losers. That would be pretty radical.

To borrow words I once heard: You are alive. You are human. You have some sort of skill. And for that and that alone, you deserve applause. You deserve to be appreciated. You deserve to be loved.

So stop playing the comparison game. Life is hard enough on its own; don’t wish you had someone else’s. Accept that you are who you are and that is all you ever need to be. I can promise you’ll be a happier person because of it.