3 Reasons Why You Should Never Compare Yourself to Others

We've heard and read many times how harmful it is to compare ourselves to others. Many of us have probably experienced it ourselves. It's completely unnecessary to waste time with thoughts like "why me", "I wish I had this or that too", "this one is more beautiful", "this one is richer", "they are more successful"... And the more such thoughts you allow to overwhelm you, the more miserable you feel.

The truth is that even if you are aware of how harmful it is to compare yourself, sometimes it's terribly difficult to overcome this habit. It takes a lot of effort and perseverance. The most important thing, and perhaps the hardest, is to not let those thoughts linger. 

Today I remind you of three truths that are obvious but often forgotten. They will help you become the best version of yourself.

🌟 You don't have all the information

No one ever sees the whole picture. It's extremely difficult to put ourselves in someone else's shoes and realize what things look like from the outside. This truth will help you in those situations where you dream about someone else's life. Let's say you want to be rich like your boss, have the beauty or perfect figure of that friend of yours, the excellent health of your neighbor, the enviable romantic relationship of your co-worker, or the poise of the sales clerk at your favorite store. The truth is, you don't actually have all the information - you have no idea what you're dreaming about. You don't know if your boss is unhappy despite his wealth. You don't know if your beautiful girlfriend suffers from everyone underestimating her and thinking she's superficial. You don't know if your neighbour, who is always healthy, is actually suffering from depression. You don't know if your colleague with the perfect relationship loves her mate. You don't know if the salesperson's calmness is only apparent and masking serious anger issues. The truth is, you don't know what you're wishing for.

🌟 You forget your qualities

Whenever we focus on others' qualities, we actually forget about our own. There's nothing wrong with admiring qualities that you'd like to develop in yourself, socializing with nice people and soaking up their virtues. But when admiration turns into envy or into constant comparison, we forget about what we already have. The next time you find yourself starting to think about what others have and you don't, stop for a moment and try to remind yourself of all that you have. You will be pleasantly surprised. And another plus - the more you appreciate your positive qualities, the happier you will be.

🌟 You won't change anything

When you compare yourself to others, you change nothing. There will always be someone who is more beautiful, richer, more successful, healthier, more loved, more organized, more confident and you won't change it if you focus on that. Concentrate on yourself. The truth is, to someone, you are also more and you have things that they would like to have too. Don't waste your time with negative thoughts about everything you can't change. Instead of getting angry at yourself for not being successful enough, for example, try to figure out what field you would like to pursue and get to work.