While scrolling though my Instagram explore page, I came across a quote I've read many times before.
I'm certain you've read this quote, too. But today, it hit me differently. Because I selected JOY as my word of the year.
If I continue to compare myself to others, I am robbing myself of the joy I am aiming to achieve.
I am constantly comparing myself to others. I'm pretty confident I can guess that you do the same. I've come to learn that if you are human, you are conditioned to do this. Why? I'm not exactly sure, although I have some guesses. But somewhere inside us is this deep false notion that if we are not the best at everything we do, we therefore are not good enough.
And we need to stop this cycle. We cannot possibly be the best at everything. We cannot be so focused on what others are doing and how they are doing it, because we start to lose ourselves in that. And at the end of the day, the very most important person in our lives is ourselves. Not anyone else. We're stuck with us. Why waste the precious time we have on Earth worrying about how we compare to other people?
But how do we stop? It's a habit so ingrained in each of us and we continue to pass it along to generations below us. I want you to think of a child that you know. Would you want that child to be living their life believing they are not good enough, or that they have to be just like everyone else? I doubt that you would. You'd tell that child they are just perfect the way they are. It's time you start telling yourself that, too.
One thing I am vowing to do is to PAUSE. When my brain starts to compare, when I start to shame myself, I am going to pause. I am going to tell myself that I do not need to waste my energy comparing myself to that person. My energy is better spent on myself.
If you're reading this, I want you to know that I love you and I am proud of you even if you aren't the smartest person in the room, the fastest person on the team, the best cook in the kitchen. I am proud of you no matter the size of your body, what you ate today, what your hair and makeup looks like. I am proud of you even if your house is cluttered, even if you didn't get everything done you wanted to this weekend.
Here's a mantra I wrote for myself that I want to share with you, for the next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else.
My strengths are unique to me.
I have my own superpowers.
I am loved, even for my flaws.
I cannot be the best at everything.
I love myself and I do not need to be like anyone else.
Let's all make a promise to try (because it's HARD) our very best to focus on ourselves, and release the idea that we need to be like anyone else.
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