The Thief of Joy

I read this quote yesterday and it really spoke to me. Have you ever gotten caught up in what someone was doing or what that person has that you overlook all the wonderful things that you have going for yourself? Maybe you are comparing your accomplishments with theirs as far as academics, career, finances, etc. Maybe you are comparing your appearance as far as weight, beauty, shape, size, etc. You may even go so far as to compare your children with someone else’s.

STOP! The quote above is so real. Comparing yourself or your life to someone else’s will steal your joy. It will make you realize all the things you do not have instead of appreciating the many things you do have. It will breed jealously and envy in your heart, both of which are destructive and counterproductive emotions. They are useless emotions. They do nothing to help you to grow into the person you were meant to be.

 

 

We have all been blessed with different gifts. You will never be the smartest, the most beautiful, the best athlete, the best singer, and on and on. There will always be some now or later who comes along that is better. Just because you are not the best, does not mean you are not great in your own right. Just because you may not be the smartest does not mean you are not smart and should not be thankful for your level of intelligence. Do you see my point? Comparison leads one to focus on the negative. In order to live in a state of peace and happiness, you must focus on the positive….even if it’s very small things, they are still blessings. 

Instead of comparing yourself to others, if there is something you do not like, try to change it! If it is something that would be physically impossible to change, for example, if it is something you were born with (the way God created you and there is nothing you can do to change it) pray to God for the ability to accept whatever it may be and the ability to turn what could be a negative into a positive. 

I’ll end it here before this post gets too long. These are my thoughts right now. I remember in my early twenties I always felt the need to be the best. I was always comparing myself to others and the end result was always the same….there would always be a few areas that I did not measure up. I would feel really down thinking about it. Some things were my fault, I could just do better. Other things were just a product of the life I was born into. I stopped that way of thinking because it was mentally toxic. I now focus my attention on being the best Ebonee, and if there is someone out there who is better in certain areas of their life than I am, may God continue to bless them. I won’t let jealousy, envy or comparison keep me from becoming my best self.