You have probably heard the quote...
"Comparison is the THIEF of JOY!"
It is so very simple.
And, it is so very TRUE!
As human beings, we can't help but compare ourselves... some of us do it more than others.
Comparison often leads to "WISHING"... Comparison often leads to DISHARMONY.
There is such a fine line between LEARNING from comparisons, and feeling disharmony from comparison.
I like to observe everyone. I want to understand how everyone achieves everything. If someone achieves great success in their company, in their life, in their charity, in their mindset, in their physicality... in ANYTHING... if you have succeeded at making progress at things... I AM ALL EARS!
I listen.
I watch.
I compare.
Most of the time its with the intent and objective of "borrowing" great things; be them behaviors, strategies, tools to achieve success...
So much of what we do - we learn from watching or hearing others DO.
But comparison is so crazy dangerous thing... because understanding behavior to emulate behavior and incorporating that into your life to move you toward where you want to go...
HARMONY!
But, understanding behavior and either WISHING that you had known about it earlier so that you could have adopted it earlier, or WISHING that you had the opportunity now to do that thing which you are unable or unwilling to do... steals your JOY!
DISHARMONY!
Again, if the definition of happiness is "the feeling that you get when moving toward your full potential" (Shawn Achor), then comparison can be a way to learn about the tools, but it's a slippery ramp to take.
Be mindful of comparison.
Ultimately, to engage in comparison in the way of harmony, you really must be willing to ACCEPT & EMBRACE that we are all on our own UNIQUE journey, because we are all WONDERFULLY UNIQUE and SPECIAL!
I compare - and I didn't do that thing that way because:
My fears were different than his fears...
My parents were different than his parents...
My curiosity was different than his curiosity...
My values are different than his values...
My ambition was different than his ambition...
My knowledge, my experience, my circumstances, my risk tolerance...
All of the things that DEFINE ME & SHAPE ME... were different, because my LIFE, my journey is uniquely special!
And, if I can be grateful for being unique...
If I can be truly THANKFUL and ACCEPTING of who I AM... of MY JOURNEY... then I wish less... and I find JOY more...
I am grateful for my journey... for my unique ride... for my unique BEING...
And, I need to be mindful of that...
REALLY mindful of that...
As I walk up the slippery ramp of comparison!
NO ONE will know what I know.
NO ONE will experience what I experience as I experience it.
NO ONE will reproduce what I bring to the world and how I bring it.
Learn from those unique souls and life experiences that you are fortunate enough to know.... and keep walking down your path toward your unique existence...
I do this in most of my moments... and then occasionally in an unexpected moment - I slip and fall abruptly on my buttocks...
Don't WISH yourself away!
You might hurt your behind ;-)
In harmony,
Nestor