The Thief Of Joy

Don’t let comparison steal your joy

Other than a sporting event or structured competition, it is rarely productive to compare ourselves to other people. In our society, we spend so much time worrying about what other people think of us that we don’t consider the fact that the only opinion that matters is the one we have of ourselves.  Comparison is the thief of joy.  We can think we’re doing good but then become depressed when we compare ourselves to those around us. 
 

The proliferation of social media has made this situation worse over the past several years. When you look at profiles of friends or family members online, you’re not looking at their reality. You are looking at their highlight reel. 
 
Football coaches grade players based on game films. Coaches watch the entire game and observe each player during each play. Any player could take his best dozen plays from any game and make a highlight reel that makes him look like a superstar even though he may have fumbled twice and thrown an interception during the game. 
 
We’ve all had the experience of watching a great movie trailer or preview then deciding to go to that movie.  Unfortunately, in many cases, all the great scenes from that film were contained in a three-minute preview, and the rest of the two-hour movie is mediocre or even worse.  Those of us who live in America or the rest of the developed world can feel like deprived underachievers if we watch other people’s highlight reels in the media. Glimpses of superstar and billionaire lifestyles can cause us to forget that, from a global perspective, we are all extremely blessed. 
 
Over a billion people on earth today survive on less than $2.00 a day. If you want to get this into perspective, you need to quit looking outside and begin looking inside. All of us have dreams, callings, or visions that tell us who we could be or should be. The only comparison that serves us is the one between who we are now and who we know we should be in the future. The only two things we can control are our effort and our attitude. 
 
At the end of each day, you are the sole judge of whether you did your best. Life is not a sprint. It’s a marathon, and all of us are in separate competitions. We run on our own track and are subject to that age-old measuring stick. It’s not whether we won or lost. It’s how we played the game. 
 
As you go through your day today, don’t let comparison steal your joy.
 
Today’s the day!
 

Jim Stovall is the president of Narrative Television Network as well as a published author of many books including The Ultimate Gift.  He is also a columnist and motivational speaker.  Follow @Stovallauthor