The Comparison Trap
Ever caught yourself scrolling through social media, only to suddenly feel like your life is somehow... inadequate? One minute you're just checking updates, the next you're wondering why your career/home/family/breakfast doesn't look like everyone else's carefully filtered versions.
Welcome to the comparison trap—where we measure our messy behind-the-scenes footage against everyone else's highlight reels.
I fell into this pit recently. While wrestling with burnout and barely keeping my head above water, I saw a colleague posting about his "effortless" success and "balanced lifestyle." My first thought wasn't congratulations—it was "What am I doing wrong?"
Here's the truth: comparison is exhausting. It steals joy, drains energy, and keeps us running on a treadmill that never stops. The finish line keeps moving because there's always someone doing something "better."
Solomon, arguably the wisest and wealthiest person of his time, called this "chasing after wind"—exhausting yourself pursuing something you can never catch.
The antidote isn't complicated, but it's challenging: stay in your own lane. Your journey isn't supposed to look like anyone else's. The specific blend of strengths, weaknesses, challenges, and opportunities that make up your life is uniquely yours.
When comparison creeps in (and it will), try this: replace scrolling with gratitude. For every post that makes you feel "less than," name something in your own life you're thankful for.
Remember, the people you're comparing yourself to are probably comparing themselves to someone else. We're all fighting invisible battles behind our public victories.
Your only true competition is who you were yesterday. That race is worth running.