We're all from the same tree

"Comparison is the thief of joy" ~ Teddy Roosevelt.

As this year wraps up, I want to touch upon a topic that resonates with me even though I don't openly admit it to myself as much as I should.

Now more than ever, especially the warping effects of social media, comparison is the easiest trap to fall into. Not only do we compare ourselves to others, but we compare ourselves to our past selves. Scrolling down our own timeline and posts thinking,

“Oh, I looked way better back then..”

“I was so much more dedicated and hardworking back then”

My friends, do not dwell on the past, - it is the past for this reason!

Of course, we go on rollercoasters throughout our life - we experience highs and lows.

This is why it is perfectly normal to be in a slower season now if in your prior season you were breaking your back chasing your goals.

I do this all the time - muttering to myself: "I used to be so organized, and able to focus for hours straight.” Now I need breaks every thirty minutes because I get tired or easily distracted.

However, Instead of looking at this as a negative quality that I have acquired with the passing of time, I look at it as something that I am aware of, and need to address properly in order to reap the same success I did years before without having those issues. This is why I take frequent breaks or change my locations when I do work so that I can still be productive and efficient.

Not only have I compared my past work ethics with my current one, but also my past workout ethic to my current. Sometimes I find myself comparing my stamina currently to when I was on the track and cross country team. I do not run as fast as I used to, nor do I have the desire to run as long as I used to. This had to do with the changing of my life schedule. Before it was all about getting good grades and being an athlete which is why I had all the physical and mental energy to run and work out as much as I could.

When I began college, my priorities changed as I had extracurricular, social, and mental health obligations that I needed to attend to. Working out and running took less of my energy and focus because it wasn’t as important. And that is okay! I still kept in shape, I just kept my workouts shorter and more efficient.

I try not to dwell on the past and how I could be running longer, faster, and lifting for longer periods of time, because I know that feeling of comparison is not going to help me. What I can do is focus on what I can do in the present and how to maximize my time just as efficiently, so that I can continue to maintain and increase my stamina in other ways in the gym.

When you find yourself comparing yourself with the past, take a moment to appreciate both versions of yourself.

Whether you felt like you were better or worse in the past, acknowledge that you needed to go through that version of yourself in order to be where you are today. This is the most freeing way to look at it because it allows us to see ourselves as a long-term project. We are continuously working and improving ourselves and that means going through phases that we may have not liked!

You may also be thinking, well what about everyone on social media who are in places and positions that I have been dreaming about for so long?

Cheer them on. Your time will come! Success looks different for everyone and we do not know the story behind someone's accomplishments. Social media does a great job at showing all the finished products without showing the prototypes and steps beforehand. That is something we should keep in mind when we develop the slightest thought of comparison.

Most importantly, God has a plan designed uniquely for each one of us and that requires us being patient and perceptive.

I hope that as this year wraps up, and we head onto 2022, instead of carrying envy and feelings of jealousy behind closed doors, we can normalize and encourage being each other’s supporters.

Brace yourself for the next year and walk into it fiercely and determined.

Stay safe, healthy, and blessed. Cheers to the new years :)

2 Corinthians 10:12

"Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding"