Self-Imposed Misery
Throughout my life, I’ve discovered a sure shot way to inject a gloomy state of misery into my days. I stumbled upon this harmful formula in the early days of my childhood and it still shows up in my life from time to time.
This self-imposed misery brought with it a heavy load of jealousy and envy which stole the joy out of my days. It carried away my inner confidence and courage, leaving a sticky film of arrogance and non-belief in myself.
This self-imposed misery stole hours from my days and energy from my being.
This self-imposed misery was caused by one thing in particular, comparing myself to others.
This harmful habit of comparing myself to another person didn’t help me build a better me, instead it helped me to minimize my gifts, discard my talents and abandon my abilities.
That was until I realized the importance of inner empowerment.
This inner empowerment brought with it a sense of calm, provided me with a peaceful way to see the world and a heart willing to embrace my gifts.
Today, I’d like to share this with you.
Putting Time & Energy to Good Use
There’s an interesting thing that happens when you take your attention away from comparing yourself to others and focus that attention on loving yourself.
Instead of spending your precious time and energy highlighting all the reasons you fail in comparison to another person, you can use your time and energy to positively build yourself into a better you.
Could you imagine what it would be like to go an entire day, week or even year without wasting a single thought on minimizing your abilities while magnifying someone else’s?
How much more time and energy would you have to focus on your true gifts, talents and abilities?
There is only one you. It makes no sense to spend your limited time on this planet beating yourself down, hoping to become another person.
Comparing yourself to others steals the time and energy needed to build and strengthen yourself from the inside out.
Creating Happiness
Many would argue that not all comparisons are bad. I would have to agree. There are some comparisons I’ve had this last week that helped me uncover more faith, belief and confidence in myself.
One of those positive comparisons is the friendly competition a buddy and I have about a business goal we’ve set. We use comparisons to fuel us into higher levels of business, not to sabotage our own success due to the accomplishments of another.
The comparisons I’m inviting you to release from yourself are those that are toxic.
Those comparisons that can blossom into anger in the pit of our stomach, or jealousy in our heart. The comparisons I’m talking about are the comparisons that steal your worth out from within you.
These type of comparisons can suck the happiness from your experience.
As we release these heavy comparisons that infect so many minds, our hearts beat with a little more freedom.
It gets difficult being happy when you’re trying to be someone else. Most are happiest when they have the confidence to truly be themselves.
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” —Theodore Roosevelt
3 Keys to Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
#1 – Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper – If you want to be unhappy, constantly look around at what everyone else is doing. If you want to be happy, spend your time refining and becoming the best possible you. The only person you should compare yourself with is the person you were yesterday.
#2 – Focus On All the Things That Are Going Right in Your Life – It’s easy to look at the life of another person and find all the reasons our life sucks in comparison to theirs. In my life, I’ve found that it’s very difficult to be down on myself when I’m focused on all the things that are going right in my life. As a mentor of mine once said, “We can’t be negative when our mind is filled with gratitude.” When you start to compare yourself with others, train your mind to immediately fill with grateful thoughts and smile.
#3 – Honoring and Recognizing Your Gifts – What will happen if you continue to push aside your gifts, talents and abilities because of the comparisons you’ve drawn up in your mind that make you feel inferior to another? I wonder what would’ve happened if Martin Luther King Jr. compared himself to the CEO of Coca-Cola at the time of civil rights and minimized his gifts with the hopes to imitate the life of another man.
There is only one you. Don’t waste your time in this life comparing yourself to another. If you do compare, use it to build the true you into a bigger, better and greater person.
Don’t let it shrink you into nothingness.
Gratitude
There is only one you.
One expression of you.
You will come this way but once.
Embrace this moment.
Don’t waste it comparing yourself to another.
Find courage, move with faith and be you.
Peace
Happiness
Compassion
Respect
Jeffon Seely
Three Key Life