I find it very easy to compare myself to others. The society I grew up in told me I could always be better, or in other words, I would never be enough. I could always be more. I wanted to be better in every way and capitalism profited off that self-doubt.

I could always be more fit than I was by adding another workout to the week. I could always be healthier than I was by cutting out more foods from my diet. I could always be better by changing how I worked and pushing myself to think bigger.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge fan of self-improvement. I want to push myself to be a better me (within reason), but then a problem comes in with comparison. I no longer wanted to be fitter or healthier than where I was but more fit or healthy than (insert online health celeb or girl in chem class here). I didn't want to improve my singing range, I just wanted to be a better singer than my biggest competition for the solo.

This process began to eat away at me. I was beating myself up for not being perfect. I really thought if I worked hard enough I could be. Also, I began to strain my relationships with others through jealousy, comparison and constantly trying to outshine them. I didn't do it intentionally, truly. I just got so caught up in the idea of "better."

One day, I realized it didn't have to be that way. I could celebrate my gifts and be happy where I was, while still working to reach goals that aligned with my values. Also, I didn't have to compare myself to others, I could simply celebrate their gifts and how amazing they are. I could swap comparison for gratitude.

When I find myself getting caught up in comparison I take a few deep breathes and step back. I end the comparison and find one thing I am grateful for about myself and one thing I am grateful for about the person I was comparing myself to. I find gratitude for all our unique gifts and it has changed my perspective on relationships and self-worth.

I feel confident in my gifts and sharing them with the world. My focus isn't going in a hundred different directions, now I can work at what I really love instead of chasing perfection. I am creating more than ever before, diving into my faith and creating healthy relationships. I enjoy celebrating the gifts of others and all the amazing things they do that I can't.

Life would be really boring if God had given us all the same gifts and if we stopped celebrating the gifts of one another. If we were all amazing musicians, athletes and artists we wouldn't enjoy. We wouldn't go see musicians at concerts, or athletes at games or paintings in galleries. We would all be perfect clones of one another. I for one do not want that. So let's all work to swap comparison with gratitude because we are all pretty awesome beings.

Comparison brings tension and discontent into our lives, whereas gratitude brings peace and love to it. You decide what you want to spend your time practicing.