We are oversaturated with the appearance of perfection all around us. On social media we see someone’s highlight reel and can’t imagine their lives as anything less than as perfect as they seem.
Photoshopped bodies and impossible beauty standards make us look at our bodies with disgust and shame.
It’s hard to see someone moving forward in life doing things we might be unable to do right now. There’s always someone with a bigger, nicer house. A more disposable income. A better job. A family that seems more put together than their own. A relationship that we wish we had.
FOMO (the fear of missing out) is another form of comparison. We see people going and doing things we aren’t a part of and can’t help but feel that pang of jealousy.
What’s wrong with comparison, exactly? Isn’t it good to be competitive and continue to grow?
There’s a fine line between using someone as an example to fuel our dreams and goals and simply looking at what someone else has and feeling less. There are so many things that maybe are simply unachievable at this moment in our journey. Does that make us less than someone else who hit that milestone? Of course not.
When we compare ourselves to others, we are cutting off our legs as we watch with envy at how quickly someone else is running. Comparison makes us either feel superior over others, or inferior. Neither of these honor our self and can create a breeding ground of crippling pride or equally crippling shame and self loathing.
When we care so much about someone else’s life, what happens? We begin to lose sight of our own life. We live vicariously through others and lose our on our own journey. Comparison is the OPPOSITE of gratitude.
Isn’t this what yoga and mindfulness is all about? Living in the moment, accepting what we cannot change, and finding the beauty in every “now” that we encounter?
Start practicing viewing your life through the lens of gratitude. While there may be always someone that has more, has better… there’s always others that have less. Hold what you have with gratitude and pride. Know that your journey through life will be just as unique as you are. No one else can live this life that you have. Hold close the things you love, and let go of the things you have no control over.
Don’t measure your own progress by someone else’ ruler. The moon may not be as bright as the sun, but it continues to shine with its beauty and importance.
As always…. You are enough.