Comparisons

Working out is one of the wellness tools I use on a regular basis. In my gym, they put up a rotating screen shot of the personal trainers with a catch phrase or quote next to their picture. There’s one that has stood out to me because I’ve heard it before and it really brings out some meaning for me personally.

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Giving a comparison or comparing oneself is a mixed message. As a peer, I often tell other peers that the power in telling their story of recovery, or looking upon their own path, and comparing it with where they were can be very uplifting. Yet, comparing ourselves to certain points can take away the reasons we celebrate and take away an appreciation for how far we’ve come.

For example, if I compare where I am now to where I was 5 or 6 years ago…. it’s hard not to stand back and really appreciate how far I’ve come. Now, when I look back before all the trauma, all the issues, all the injuries, and I compare how I am NOW to how I was THEN…. it’s like asking for a punch in the gut. It isn’t fair and it robs the joy I could otherwise celebrate.

This is all about perspective. At some point in our lives we’re beat down and it takes everything we have and everything we can borrow to stand up and keep going. It’s that point I want to compare to. It’s that point that I want to look back and say, “Look how far I’ve come, look at what I’ve accomplished, if I can do that, I can do anything, and if I can do anything, so can YOU.” That’s the comparison I seek.

How I was decades ago…. That’s just not fair. Hall of Fame athletes shouldn’t compare their current physical ability to how they were 20 or 30 years ago when they were in their prime. So the rest of us, we should probably take the hint and not compare where we are today with our absolute best day… I mean, how do we even know that that distant day in the past was even our best day? Maybe our best day has yet to come.

The other side of comparison is this. When we compare ourselves to others…. I know that it’s difficult not to compare to others. So I ask like this, how can you compare yourself to another person when you have no idea where they came from? We all have our stories. We have our past. We have over come so much and we have so much more to work through. Why take away your accomplishments by comparing them to others? Why diminish theirs?

You. Right now. You’re everything you need to be. You matter. You’ve overcome every challenge you have ever faced and you can stand with pride just for taking that breath. You’re enough. You matter. You don’t need to compare yourself to anything.