If you compare your life with others, especially those you believe to be more successful or happier than you are, you will be unhappy in your life. Teddy Roosevelt said “Comparison is the thief of joy” more than a century ago and it still rings true today. The point is to not be envious of others or, more accurately, of what you perceive the success or happiness of others to be.
Just because you think someone has a better job title or seems to have more money than you, it doesn’t mean that it is true. The person you view as a “higher up” may hate the position they are in or constantly be under high levels of stress. The person who seems to have money may be living on credit cards and other debt and could be on the edge of a financial collapse. Not making assumptions is a topic for another day but it applies here.
Similarly, don’t be vindictive. Don’t try to get even. Doing so is never the right course of action. If you do try to get even, it reveals that the only one keeping score is you. And that you are the one losing. Plus, it takes time to build a good reputation and mere seconds to destroy it.
This leads to something else that is important. Do your best at whatever it is you do and let what happens, happen. Do so in a way that is honest and allows you to look back with no regrets. If you don’t do this and instead step on others to lift yourself up, the person you “run over” may be the vindictive sort too. If that person tries to get even, it will waste your time and take your focus from the things you need to or would rather be focusing on.
Embracing the uniqueness of your own journey rather than constantly measuring it against others is a path for achieving and maintaining happiness. Comparing yourself to others only steals the joy you could find in your own achievements and experiences. Instead, try to reach and maintain a mindset of contentment in which you celebrate your successes and setbacks without the need for vindication. By focusing on yourself, you can stay the course on your own path without the shadows of comparison dimming your light.
As always, this post and others can be found on my blog, Business Law Guy.