Why "Comparison is the Thief of Joy"



I've started writing this post several times over but I just cannot seem to get the words out right.  I keep getting the feeling that this is something I need to share.  With that said and although I am lacking eloquence, here goes nothing:

I am competitive.  I did not realize this until last year when one of my absolute favorite professors spoke to our class about pride in the workplace.  He presented my new favorite quote:


After hearing this quote I began to examine my relationships more closely, I realized that I would subconsciously put others down in an attempt to make myself seem "better."  As a result, this has had quite the adverse effects on my confidence.  

For example, I have been trying to jump the wake for years on the wakeboard.  This past summer my younger brother successfully jumped the wake and surpassed me in wakeboarding skills.  At first I was upset that I was no longer the top wakeboarder in the family.  Then the aforementioned quote came to mind and I shamefully realized that I should be happy for my brother!  He certainly had worked hard to learn his new wakeboarding tricks and he certainly deserved to be doing so well.  Being initially angry with my brother did not make me better at wakeboarding, it caused me to wrongfully criticize myself. 

I have thought a lot about his experience and the ways that I am constantly trying to one-up my siblings.  My life, however, is not the same in any way as my sibling's lives.  In fact, my life is not the same as anybody else's life.  

Ah yes, this is the very reason why "comparison is the thief of joy."  

Think about everyday life.  I wake up and check my instagram/facebook.  I go to school and check my instagram/facebook on my lunch break.  I come home from school and check my instagram/facebook.  I go to bed but before falling asleep I check my instagram/facebook.  I was obsessed with knowing what was going on in other's lives but for the wrong reasons completely.  For so long I compared the way my life looked online in comparison to others.  I would feel bad that my life did not look as good as my FB friends.  Other times (I am ashamed to admit), I would feel a sense of pride that my life appeared to be a lot cooler than others. 

I have been working really hard to change the way I think.  Instead of being jealous, I have been trying to be sincerely happy for others.  Instead of putting others down, I have been trying to celebrate their accomplishments.  In Mosiah 18:8-9 we are commanded to: "bear one another's burdens that they may be light; yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort..." This means that instead of feeling joy at the expense of others, we need to work as a team. Goodness knows that life is hard enough as it is!

I do not want you to think that I am trying to boast but rather, I want to share my experiences and observations with the hope that I can spread awareness about the painful side effects that can stem from comparison.  

I believe that we are all fighting our own battles and I wish each of you all the best.

Cheers,
<33 Amanda

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