From the color of our eyes to the tip of our toes, each of us is profoundly, incomprehensibly, unique. And when we venture into the territory of comparison, like a thief in the night, it steals our gratitude, our possibilities and fulfillment.
But even more than that, it prevents us from fully living our lives. It calls us to envy someone else's life and covet theirs rather than our own. It robs us of our most precious possession: life itself. And this leads to suffering because it changes you, distorts you. You become more and more artificial by imitating others, comparing with others. You can go on competing, comparing, nurturing resentments and becoming mean to others, but it will not stop them from getting what they're meant to have. But your comparison might prevent you from getting what you're meant to have.
"Comparison," says Mark Twain, "is the death of joy."
Indeed it is. That's why it's fruitless and a total waste of time. It stunts potential and negates the truth of all the good things you already have going for you if you weren't so busy comparing yourself with people who you think have it better. Comparison is a slippery slope. It's a trap. It's a dead end.
Whenever the temptation to compare rears its head, bless the people you feel envious of. And turn your focus inward. Imagine yourself feeling the way you want to feel -- successful, smart, loved, free, healthy, connected, valued -- anchor these inner qualities and the compulsion to compare vanishes. It creates more space for your own greatness to step forward.
Too many people live their lives without intention or thought. They rarely take a quiet moment to sit in meditation or solitude and examine their lives -- who they are and who they are becoming. As a result, lives are lived in reaction to the events around them. But when a life is lived intentionally and thoughtfully, the comparison game loses its appeal.
So forget about everyone else; focus only on your life. There are many wonderful things about your life. You have much to celebrate and are entirely unique. Any comparison between you and another person is like comparing apples to oranges. Learn to accept and enjoy the sweetness of your being whether as an apple or an orange -- that is enough. You are enough.
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