Comparing is Dangerous

I was watching a documentary about poverty and homelessness in the U.S., and I got curious about the comments. A lot of people were saying things like, “I thought I had it bad, but now I know to be grateful.” One person even shared an old saying: “I felt bad for myself because I had no shoes… until I met a man with no feet.” But is that what we really need to be grateful—knowing someone else has it worse? And what happens when we don’t have someone “worse off” to compare ourselves to? Do we then compare to people we think are better than us? Comparing is dangerous. It means we can only know ourselves relative to other people. And, although it can sometimes remind us to appreciate what we have, it doesn’t always have to come from someone else’s struggle. Your best life can only be lived by you and, one way to find your best, can come from noticing what’s in front of you… and finding gratitude for it. Being grateful isn’t about pretending everything’s great when it’s not. It’s about seeing things clearly and still finding something to appreciate. Maybe it’s as small as being thankful for having access to clean water or the fact that you’re still trying, even when it feels like you’re moving through mud. These might seem basic or even silly at first, but they count. A practice like this gets our minds to shift and builds up resilience. It doesn’t need to be dramatic or inspired by someone else’s pain—gratitude can grow in our everyday situations.

ACTION: Take a moment to pause and look at something in your life you haven’t acknowledged in a while—something small, overlooked, or everyday. Practice gratitude for that. Let go of comparing and focus on what’s there for you right now.