“No one else has access to the world you carry around within yourself; you are its custodian and entrance. No one else can see the world the way you see it. No one else can feel your life the way you feel it. Thus it is impossible to ever compare two people because each stands on such different ground. When you compare yourself to others, you are inviting envy into your consciousness; it can be a dangerous and destructive guest.”
― John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
I have felt in my own life, and seen in the lives of my patients, how incredibly painful comparison can be. There is always going to be someone smarter, faster, wealthier, better looking, or more successful. When you compare yourself to others, you lose contact with yourself. Comparison keeps us from being able to meet ourselves as we are. Instead, we are never good enough, and always striving to be other than we are.
Get curious about the world you carry around inside. Do you feel your life fully, or are you one step removed? Can you meet yourself as you are, where you are, and have gratitude for the life you are able to live?