You have always heard that comparing yourself to other people can be a harmful exercise, and that focusing internally on what you can do to solve your own problems and enhance your own life is the way to go. But there are ways comparing yourself to others can be affirming.
However, while I believe that constantly comparing your negatives to other people’s positives can indeed be an unhealthy exercise, I also believe that it’s not always a bad thing to indulge in a little compare and contrast with other individuals. Here are a few ways comparing yourself to others can be affirming.
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It Shows Possibilities
If you are in a place in your life where you are ready to start on a new challenge and are looking for inspiration, it can often be helpful to look to other people and see what kinds of things that they have achieved. Seeing that other people have succeeded in the same sort of pursuit that you are interested in can give you an affirming feeling and a basis from which to start. Hey, if they can do it, why can’t you too? Personally, this is my favorite of the ways comparing yourself to others can be affirming and the one I'd definitely start with.
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It Can Fire You up
I think there is nothing wrong with a little bit jealousy every now and then. It can provide the spark that ignites a passion inside of you to do better in your own life and be able to compete with those that you have compared yourself to. If you look at a person and desperately want what they have, then the only way to start toward it is to get going!
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It Can Be Inspirational
If you are on a fitness and weight loss journey, for example, you can find great deals of inspiration by seeking out weight loss success stories that begin from a similar starting point to your own. Looking at the life changing effects that successful health journeys have made for others is the perfect way to be inspired to excel on your own.
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It Can Teach You
Comparing yourself to others doesn’t always have to be a jealousy inducing exercise. It can also be an exercise in which you can teach yourself. Find an individual that you aspire to be like, take mental notes on what exactly they have achieved to get to their position, and then you can work on achieving those very same things in order to rise through the ranks and get to the position that you want to be in.
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It Can Make You Grateful
Sometimes, when you indulge in comparing yourself with others, you can often realise that their lives are not as ideal as you once imagined, and you come out on the other side feeling more grateful for your own set of circumstances than before. Moments like these teach you that there may be more to a person than meets the eye, and that includes yourself. Comparisons can often help you to see that your life isn’t as bad as you might have once thought.
