We need to stop wishing we were different and start embracing what we have.
Comparing
yourself to others is one of the worst things you can do. Actually, maybe the worst. Not only are you demoting
your self-worth, but you are distracting yourself by wishing you looked or
spoke or acted differently—wishing you were like a different person. But worst
of all, you start believing that you’d be better off, happier, if you were
different than whom you already are.
I
really have no room to lecture you on why not to do this because, honestly, I
do it too. A lot. It’s such a terrible habit and I try to stop myself from
pulling apart the things I wish I had. I find myself wishing that I looked more
like this one girl or wishing I could write as well as a classmate. It’s an
awful thing but for some reason whenever I tell myself, “Okay, that’s enough,”
I can never stop.
It’s
tough. Like really tough.
I
know my weakness and flaws because I experience them everyday. I notice what
doesn’t work for me because I’ve had 2o years of noticing what doesn’t work for
me. I’ve also had 20 years of trying to change what I don’t like and wishing
those parts were different. But I’ve got to be honest: it’s a little tiring
constantly dreaming of looking different or comparing what I don’t have to what
other people do have.
I
think the key here is to try not to stop myself from wishing I were different
and actually accept that this is how I am now. This is me. I can’t change this
no matter how much I try. And I’ve got to realize that those people I compare
myself to have something they want to change about themselves as well. No one’s
perfect, except in the way that we are all different.
If
we can just look in the mirror and smile at what we’re so fortunate to have
going for us, then we’re automatically a step closer to not comparing ourselves
to others. Because all of those people you walk by comparing yourself to are
different from you, from your friends, and from the other people walking around
you, it’s truly amazing to know we each offer something different.
And
great.
Comparing
yourself to another person is like comparing apples to oranges. Excuse the
cliché, but no two people should ever be compared to one another. Yes, they
both are people, but they are two totally different examples of what defines
us. We each bring something different to the table, which proves that we each
possess something valuable and irreplaceable.
So
get out of your own head. Be happy with the quirks, flaws, or mistakes you have
made and continue to make. Smile at what you offer and appreciate what others
have that you may not.
