Compare to Yourself

They just got a nice promotion.  They got the project I wanted.  They work for an awesome company.

Ever have these thoughts?  Ever compare yourself to others and desire what they have?  Stop.

It is not healthy.  There will always be people who have more, are better, or have something you aspire to.  We have to practice focusing on ourselves or we will never be happy.  If you are looking at others with envy, what happens when you obtain what they have?  If you keep envy, you will look for the next thing to be envious of.  As soon as you obtain that last one, you will move on to the new one.

Take some time to appreciate what you just obtained.  Take some time to understand where you are, what you have, and what you have learned over the journey to get here.

Be careful what you wish for.  You may be envious of the other people who have what you want, but you don’t know exactly what that entails.  That nice promotion may mean spending time away from your loved ones.  That project may have an unsatisfiable customer that is difficult to work with.  That awesome company might have a culture that makes you uncomfortable.

On the surface, what other people have may look fantastic, but get into the details and you may not like what it is truly about.

Focus on yourself.  Are you happy where you are at?  Really focus on the things you are happy with and keep those top of mind.

What things would you like to improve in your life and in yourself?  Find the most important and focus on that one.  One at a time.

Are you getting better?  Have you improved this year?  Did you learn something the other day?  Those are the types of comparisons that you should focus on.  They snowball and build momentum.