Stop Comparing Yourself
I remember a very specific moment that happened seven years ago that was a huge turning point for me. To give you a little background, I had been doing about five years of solid personal development work at that point. I had learned that success in life, whatever that looks like for you, could happen at anytime and under any circumstance as long as our mindset and spirit were constantly pointing towards good (God), towards wholeness, and towards giving. But I got a little derailed. I started comparing my journey in my business with others that were moving and growing faster. I was happy for them and didn’t begrudge them any success, but I wasn’t happy for me.
During the holidays it’s easy, so easy for comparison to creep in. But what if we pivot? What if instead of comparing, we started to celebrate?
I spent about six months on the hamster wheel of comparison and was exhausted. It stole my joy, it stole the fun out of my business, but more than anything it stole time. Comparing your journey to others not only steals the time you should be using to work on YOU or to achieve whatever it is that you hope to achieve but it also steals time from your family and the ones you love. You may be with them physically but when we are stuck in comparison mode, we get mentally sidetracked.
Then one day I really felt God said, if you keep doing this I cannot help you. That’s when I realized that I was spending so much time focused on what other people were doing that there was no room, no time left for me. No wonder God couldn’t work…I didn’t give Him the freedom or the space to. I then started replacing those thoughts of comparison to thoughts of celebration. When someone got another customer, I celebrated them. When someone had another team member join their team, I celebrated them. And what I came to understand is the positive thoughts, the celebration, took up a lot less space. I shifted. I pivoted, and finally my business started moving and thriving again.
When you worry about other people, when you are stuck comparing, you don’t have anything left for you. And there’s no way you can be blessed when you are focusing all of the emotional energy you have on others.
We can either spend time comparing or we can spend our precious time working on OUR life. And when it creeps in, grab hold of the thought and literally change it. Celebrate them winning. Celebrate the new house, the new car, the new job. Once we train our minds and our hearts to do this, a whole new world opens up for us! We see things brighter, we feel lighter, and we are able to experience the joy and freedom that come with switching from a negative frequency to a positive one.
Now for the challenge.
I want you to grab your journal and write down the names of all of the people you have been comparing your life to. Write down what specifically they have or you think they have that you may hope to have one day. Then right below each one, write a prayer celebrating them. Give God the glory for blessing that person and thank Him for blessing you, too. Write as many positive thoughts for that person that you can possibly think of and then let it go. Send it off (metaphorically speaking). Close that chapter. And then repeat as many times as you have to before celebration becomes second nature.
Try it. Keep me posted on all the things!
