Apples to Oranges

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.