Alexis Senge JohnsonOne of the most important life lessons I grasped as I passed into my early 30s several years ago was to stop comparing myself to others. For most of my life as a performer I compared my abilities to others and used it as a gauge of my talent level. At times it inspired me to push myself to work harder or left me feeling hopeless. I’m saddened that I didn’t become comfortable in my own skin until three decades of my life had passed, but now I revel in the fact that I have learned to not compare myself to others anymore and live a much more peaceful life because of it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I do still have a tendency to push myself further in most aspects of life. However, now I push myself to the best of my abilities and not to someone else’s and that makes all the difference. I’ve embraced my individualism and couldn’t be more happy with how that has reduced drama in my world. My only wish is that others could do the same. Which leads me to a very important question. Why do some women turn everything into a competition?
We all know those gals that have to be the best at everything. They have to be the first to do something or be everyone’s favorite. Their ability to turn life events into a competition of epic proportions is found by most to be unbecoming of a lady. If they weren’t the best, the first or the favorite then don’t expect a congratulatory gesture coming your way. If you do see one chances are it will most certainly be served with a side of disdain and sarcasm.
I often wonder how these gals live their life constantly comparing themselves to others and if it is really a sign of a lack of confidence in themselves. It must be utterly exhausting inviting that much envy into their consciousness twenty-four hours a day. At times they may even use their energy to put other gals down in an effort to build themselves up. I just can’t imagine maintaining that schedule of negativity all day. Whew! I barely have time in my life to do my own laundry now, so I’d love to know how they balance it all.
Since I can’t speak for how they keep all those plates spinning, I’ll just say that I highly recommend living a life where you’re comfortable not just in your own skin but also in the decisions you make for your life. I’ll tell you what, it sure does simplify your outlook on the world when you stop comparing yourself to everyone around you and instead focus on enjoying the moments you’re a part of wrote they pass you by. It’s a truly peaceful place to be when you’re happy in life.
