Saturday 6 April 2013

I'll have what they're having

If there's one mistake that I have made over, and over, again, it's to persistently compare myself to other people. It's a poisonous habit. Comparing yourself to another person is like judging a book by its cover. You can only see what's on the outside. The real detail of the ink stained pages that make up someones life are hidden from your view.

There's nothing wrong with being inspired by other people, or wanting to emulate a quality, but you have to remember that everyone is unique. Other people are different, not better and we can rarely truly judge what another person's life is like.

I often find myself taking the best attributes of all the people around me and comparing them to myself, wondering why I don't share every single one. Obviously, this is a ridiculous standard to strive for.

I am going to stop repeating this habit, before it causes me any more harm. To do this I am going to force myself to think about what I do have, instead of what someone else has. Whenever I find myself comparing myself to another person, I will stop and list five things which I have. These could be talents, objects, people, or whatever else I value.

My list
1. I have a beautiful wife.
2. I am intelligent and have ideas.
3. I have friends and family willing to support me in times of hardship.
4. I have faith in an amazing God.
5. I am audacious in all aspects of my life.

That list was surprisingly difficult for me to make, not because I have too many great things to add to it, which in reality, I do. It was difficult because my mind isn't used to thinking in such terms. I'm not used to thinking about what I do have, I'm used to searching for what I don't have.

If you can relate to my experiences, then I recommend you to try to follow the same method as I am, I'd love to see your list. Let me know if you have any thoughts on my idea.

Writing your own list in the comments section of this post might be a useful exercise to get you started. It was for me. It's easier to recall something than it is to create something.





2 comments:

  1. Another great blog post. Thanks for sharing your idea. I'm going to give it a try too.
    1. I have a wonderful husband.
    2. I have a cute kitty.
    3. I have supportive parents who are always willing to help me out.
    4. I have a great sister who encourages me.
    5. I am blessed with friends who go above & beyond the call of duty.

    Love Katie x

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  2. i am gonna try this too cz i do the same compare myself with other
    1 i have great great parents
    2 i have a awesome brother who supports me whenever possible n corrects me wen m wrong
    3 i have wonderful friends whom i can call at 3 am n cry n they wont freak out
    4 i have food n nice clothes which is really nice cz their r people out there who don't even have that
    5 i have a home,family, friends and a life that i always fret about but which many people would be dying to have

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