Comparisons can be harmful, whether comparing yourself to others or judging other people.
That person has better stuff than me.
That person has it easy.
Their business is doing better than mine.
They have better clients.
They go to interesting places.
They do interesting things.
With interesting people.
They cook nicer food.
In a bigger kitchen.
In a bigger house.
Their kids are well rounded.
Their garden is bigger.
They are lucky.
When judging it can be worse, spiteful even.
They need to lose weight.
They should do more exercise.
They drive to the corner shop.
They are always complaining about their situation.
They are always off sick.
They should cheer up.
Their problems are not as bad as mine.
They should pull themselves together.
They don’t try hard enough.
They should get their finger out.
In both cases we need a different perspective.
When comparing, consider where you are right now. Appreciate what you have. Congratulate yourself for getting this far, for pulling it off.
Don’t concern yourself with what everyone else is doing, focus on your own achievements.
Yay you.
When judging, have you considered things from their point of view?
How are they feeling right now? What is their situation?
Are there factors outside of their control, factors you don’t know about?
Be understanding, show compassion.
You’re not a bad person, and neither are they.
In either scenario the negativity is gone, you’re looking at things in a positive light.
Your brain is no longer focussed on the negatives.
This is healthier.
You’ll feel better for it.
Word count: 284.
Time taken: about 20 minutes
This post is one of 30 I wrote daily during April 2016 as part of the 30 Day Writing Challenge.
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