On Comparisonitis, the thief of joy
On Comparisonitis, the thief of joy
By Doron
✏️ Do you scroll through others' LinkedIn posts feeling a twinge of comparisonitis?🖍️
It's that sneaky condition where you measure yourself against someone else and suddenly feel like your life, job, lunch or holiday is just… not quite up to the same level as theirs. Symptoms may include irrational self-doubt, compulsive overthinking and believing everyone else actually likes green juice.
Theodore Roosevelt is said to have stated: "comparison is the thief of joy". I think that's so true and I would add that it's also an energy drain.
And so, here are 6 reframe reflections (warning - clichéd use of "journey" coming up shortly):
- Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. What someone excels at might not be your area of focus or passion, and that's okay.
- People often only show their highlights. Yes, I accept that increasingly there's more vulnerability and openness to sharing struggles, yet - generally speaking - social media posts tend to hide some of the challenges behind the scenes.
- Comparisonitis can distract us from our own growth. Focusing on others is a diversion from appreciating how far you've come yourself.
- Comparing ourselves to others invariably leads to unnecessary self-doubt. It chips away at our confidence and sense of self-worth.
- Your journey has its own path and timeline. Success and progress happen at different paces for everyone.
- You define your own version of success. What others value may not even align with what truly matters to you.