I’m Not Convinced That Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

What If There Is More To Comparison Than Envy?

Photo by Paola Chaaya on Unsplash

Have you ever scrolled through LinkedIn or Instagram, seen someone doing something completely different with their life, and thought, “Wait, that’s an option too? Why did I not do this too?”

Someone could be making money while travelling, selling courses while they sleep, or working just three hours a day while they seem to have it all figured out.

It makes most people jealous. But what if you looked at it as a learning instead? I think that’s one of the things we often overlook about comparison.

I’ve Been Comparing Since Childhood

I am someone who used to compare a lot. So much so that my family started calling me “Miss Never Enough.”

As a kid, I was often compared with other children over better grades. But nobody really compared who had more toys. Growing up, I somehow took it upon myself to start comparing the toys too.

Except that the toys eventually changed. They became better careers, more money, more holidays, bigger houses and seemingly better lives.

There were times when, looking back, I wasn’t very proud of myself. My own achievements started feeling lesser just…