The Danger of Comparison.

I have been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about where I am, where I’m going, and some things that may be holding me back from moving forward in life. I came to realize one big thing that has been hindering my growth. Comparison.

I didn’t realize how much I had been comparing myself to others, and I definitely didn’t realize the impact it was having on my life. I think that with social media being as popular as it is today, it has become harder and harder for us to live our lives in confidence, without constantly comparing our life to someone else’s. I open up my Instagram or Facebook feed and start scrolling, finding pictures of what appears to be perfection. My immediate thoughts are “she seems happier than me” or “he is my age but is way more successful than I am” or “that person is in way better shape than me.” I automatically start to compare myself to everyone else, causing me to feel insignificant and like I am lacking. This is why it can be so dangerous.

I’m not trying to say that comparing yourself to someone else is always a bad thing. I actually think it can be healthy to learn from others, and to see what others are doing in order to help motivate and inspire you to grow. However, I believe that comparison can become dangerous when we begin to punish ourselves for not being where someone else is. It becomes dangerous when we are comparing for the purpose of putting ourselves down or when we feel like a failure as a result.

Every human on this earth has a purpose. There is SOMETHING that they have been put on this earth to do. There is a reason for every life. A destiny, a calling, a purpose. What is sad is how many people live and die on this earth without ever coming close to realizing or fulfilling that purpose. Comparison can quench your purpose if you allow it. It can cause you to feel like you’re not good enough. It can bring fear into your life. It has the power to cause you to quit.

That’s why I want to encourage you to start seeing yourself as the person that YOU were created to be, and to stop trying to make yourself into something you were never intended to be. Start walking in your own purpose and stop trying to live out someone else’s. Stop comparing who you are to who someone else is. Stop comparing what you’re doing to what someone else is doing. Stop allowing comparison to make you feel like a failure.

Just be you. Genuinely, authentically, you. You are incomparable.