Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy

Why is it we constantly compare ourselves to our ‘past lives’

To who we were 10 years ago.

The thought of something changing in our lives, understandably can leave us feeling anxious and worried.

But some changes in our lives are absolutely out of our control, and some changes are things we can accept and embrace!

As humans, we LOVE routine and hate change….

We freak out because of ‘change’

Any change…..

Work changes the car park; we panic a little.

An email comes through with new staff room rules.

The first thing we think is the BAD stuff.

We have a baby and put a few pounds (or stone) on and we PANIC because WE LOOK DIFFERENT.

Or we have a really good year of eating and drinking and decide we probably need to accept the fact….

We need bigger jeans now.

AND WE PANIC.

WE PUNISH ourselves internally for ‘changing’

What if we looked at change differently?

What if we EMBRACED CHANGE?

Because without it, we aren’t going forward.

We aren’t evolving.

And we aren’t being true to ourselves.

Look at trees. Every year they lose all their blossom and leaves, they die and drop off onto the ground for a few months.

Trees are basically naked.

(We call this autumn and winter)

But WITHOUT this change, without them dropping all the beautiful blossom or losing all their leaves.

THEY CAN NOT GROW, become bigger and better and blossom EVEN more the following year.

They have to change.

Do you think trees ‘reminisce’ constantly about ‘the summer of 69’ when they had the best leaves’?

Even animals, they shed fur to grow more.

We grow fingernails so we can grow more.

We are constantly changing and evolving BECAUSE THATS WHAT WE DO.

So, what would happen if you said to yourself.

“yep last year that WAS me”

“This year THIS is me…..Because I’m not who I was last year. And I’m not who I will be next year.”

“I’m changing. And that’s what I need to do”

Who cares what size you ‘used to be’ ‘that’s not me anymore’!

This is who I am.

And going forward I will remind myself of that daily.

And the change I will make this year will be to exercise more….

So I can get back into those jeans.

But I won’t punish myself along the way.

I will accept, that is who I was, this is who I am now.

And accept that change is a part of life…..

Just like the trees do.