Compare and Compete

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "Comparison is the thief of joy", and boy was he right.

As a human being, and especially as a girl, I have been found guilty of comparing myself to others. I compare myself to my best friends, my parents, my classmates, and even complete strangers. Admit it, you have done it too. Whether we mean to or not, we tend to end up comparing ourselves to others and gauging our accomplishments based on other people’s lives. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there. We don’t stop at making comparisons. We judge. We judge ourselves, and we tend to be our toughest critic. When we perceive someone to be prettier, smarter, funnier, skinnier, taller, shorter, braver, than we are, we are putting ourselves down and selling ourselves short. It’s the way we are wired. We crave organization, a systematic approach. So we compare.

But wouldn’t life be so much better if we stopped comparing ourselves to others and starting looking more deeply at our own lives. We are growing and changing and learning every day. So here’s a thought…compare yourself to yourself. I know it sounds crazy, but hear me out. I am a drastically different person than I was 7 years ago, 3 years ago, and even last year. So for comparison, what can I do today that I couldn’t have done 7 years ago? Easy. Today I can go to school and leave my house and go to the grocery store without having a panic attack. What can I do today that I couldn’t have done a few weeks ago? Easy again. Today I could get on an airplane and fly. Today I am a different person than I used to be. I have grown and changed, some things for the better, some not. I am still a work in progress. But I can look back and compare and see the areas that I have grown. Comparing ourselves to others is useless. They don’t have our life or our circumstances, so there is no way to accurately compare ourselves; the measuring stick is completely different! So today, right now, I am making a promise to myself. To try to stop comparing myself to every girl I see. I will stop comparing my relationships, academics, clothes, looks, and personality to those around me. I don’t promise to be perfect, I just promise to try. And maybe this time next year, I can look back, compare, and see how far I’ve come!

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