comparison is the thief of joy

it must have been near midnight — we were cozied up under the covers; the bedtime book had been read and put away; papa’s weary, pitiful eyes had finally given up; the soft glow of the twinkle lights warmed the room; the littlun mumbled sleepily about the joyful day we just had — when it hit me: how many precious hours had i wasted comparing myself to others?

all that time and all that energy carelessly thrown away dismissing all the good i had — and believe me, there is no shortage of good in my life. there is so much to be happy about, so much to be grateful for.

i’m married to the man of my dreams. together, we have a happy, healthy little boy i get to stay home with. there is a roof over our head, clothes on our back, and food on our plate. most of our weekends are spent laughing and playing, making memories and new traditions.

and yet, i still manage to muck things up on an almost daily basis by comparing my house, my family, my body, my writing, my photos to the people i meet online.

it does no good. it only serves to make me unhappy, taking for granted all the blessings that life has given me. i miss out on what’s happening right in front of me — the beauty that is my own life, with all its perfect imperfections — and that is not how i want to live my only life on earth.

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it’s a well-known fact that coveting what others have and comparing your weaknesses to their strengths is a sure-fire way to make you feel downright miserable and completely inadequate. the (seemingly endless) cycle is difficult to break, but it’s far from impossible.

be self-aware, stop yourself, choose to focus on and appreciate what you do have instead of what you don’t, and you’re already halfway there.

“you are enough. you are so enough. it is unbelievable how enough you are.”