The thief of joy

Comparison.

We love to compare ourselves.

Actually, we hate it.

Or love/hate, maybe.

But we do it—day in and day out.

We compare the way we live our lives, our decisions, how we raise our kids, spend our money, what our marriages look like, what we do for fun.

We judge, and we are judged. Even if not deliberately.

But we forget, or maybe never even consider, that we all have a unique set of values.

That inner voice that tells us what’s most important to us.

Our guiding principles.

They influence our decisions, our choices, our behaviors.

When we are aligned with our core values, we are at peace.

When we act against our values, we conflict with ourselves.

And it’s really important to remember that…

What is important to us may not be what is most important to someone else.

If you were to take all of the people in your life and compare your core values, I don’t think you’d find an exact match. Sure, there is likely overlap, especially among people you have created friendships with, but an identical set is highly unlikely.

So why are we comparing?

Have you considered what your values are?

When you see those guiding principles as words in front of you, something clicks.

Now you know with certainty why particular accomplishments were so meaningful to you.

You realize why you felt shame in some instances. Or embarrassment. Or anger. Or disappointment.

It’s like you just received your manual, and everything now makes sense.

Your exceptionally individualized and unique manual. The one with only your name on it.

Can we commit to spending less time comparing ourselves to others and more time exploring our unique and extraordinary manuals?

Until next time…

Michele