We live in a world where everything is judged from our hair to our clothes to how many Instagram likes we get on our photos. Everything is about ranking, who has what and who wins and loses.
I remember in high school there was this girl (who honestly I hardly knew) who had it all. Gorgeous, exceptional athlete, amazing wardrobe, straight A's and on top of that a nice person. Like this girl literally had no flaws. Or at least that's what I told myself. The reality is that unless this girl was the Virgin Mary in disguise, she was probably fighting her own battles that just seemed invisible to us mortals.
Back to the "comparison is a thief of joy" thing. It could not be more accurate. As soon as we start comparing what we don't have, we start to feel pretty crappy about ourselves. It's funny, because some of the most unhappy people I know have so much going for them, but are constantly under the impression that they are not doing enough, don't have enough and aren't worthy enough. The problem is that we have to accept it. As harsh as it is, there will alway be someone smarter, better looking, more successful, with more friends and seems more fun than you. Life happens.
{Take the Time to Step Back}
It took coming to college for me to realize how unbelievably blessed I am to be where I am now. But sometimes instead appreciating it, we get caught up into the world of who has what, when in the grand scheme of things, who gets the best SAT score is not going to be the person that God favors over everyone else.
{Pretend You Could Switch Places}
Back to the girl in high school, I remember once a good friend of mine and I were talking about this girl and she was going on about how perfect this girl was and I thought to myself- well if you really could switch places, like actually become that person, would you? Sometimes when I feel down, as cheesy as it is, I do this visualization technique, but it works every time.
{Thank the People in Your Life}I don't know about you, but I definitely don't say thank you enough. Just the fact that I have a place to live and don't go to bed hungry (as long as I'm not lazy and make it to the Caf but back to the point) is such a blessing and it took lots of people to get you to where you are today. At least think some poor woman carried you for 9 months before even knowing you...love you mother. I am sorry for the back pains you probably now struggle with.
{Jealousy is Really Admiration}
Sometimes we are so caught up in the negative feelings of jealousy, we forget that in the end we admire the person, even if we don't feel good about the process. What we sometimes forget is that rather than feel negatively toward the people who excel, we should use them as people to look up to with admiration.
{Everything is Not What it Seems}
Kind of self explanatory, but like the girl in high school, not everything that appears on the outside really reflects the whole person. Even though some people seem to walk on water, we are all human, after all.
Wherever you are you have a great day,
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