The Comparison Trap

How do you define yourself outside of your silent competition with other people?

There will always be somebody more successful than you. Somebody more popular. More celebrated. More talented. More accepted. Some days, you’ll look at their “great” and start to question the value of your “very good.”

And all of a sudden, the “very good” that you spent years working towards doesn’t feel good enough, anymore.

You tell yourself that you have to work even harder and go even farther before you can be proud of who you are. You tell yourself that you’ll accept yourself as you are when you’re just a little bit better—but first, you have to do more. You have to be more. The chip on your shoulder is helpful, in the moment. It motivates you to become a better version of the person that you already are.

But here’s the thing: even after you do everything you said you would, there will still be someone who is even more successful, popular, celebrated, talented, or accepted than you. There will always be someone new to chase after or compete with. Your dissatisfaction can fuel you for as long as you let it, but it will also continue to list your ability to appreciate the moment. You could spend your whole life on a hamster wheel, chasing after a shiny future as the present moment continues to slip by underneath your feet.

There’s a better way. You can be proud of yourself and want more for yourself, at the same time. You can measure your progress by looking at how far you’ve come, instead of engaging in silent competition with other people. You can enjoy the present moment while working towards a better future. You can accept that your existence in itself is worth celebrating.

Please, remember that life is precious and finite.

We don’t get any of these moments back. Don’t wait—enjoy the day, today. Celebrate yourself, today.