I came across this comment on a Reddit thread about someone wanting to know if their mountain bike was as good as their friend group's mountain bikes because they all have expensive higher end bikes.
"comparison is the thief of joy."
That's it. That's was the comment. And I just sat there, staring at it in its simplicity.
Perhaps it was the time of evening, my mood, or the day I'd had, but this comment... This beautifully simple comment burned itself into my brain like a hot iron on a cow ass.
For all my life I've compared myself to a standard I will never be able to meet. Whether it's what I produce at work, my hobbies, or the art and music I create, I've set the bar so high that I would need a ladder to the moon to reach it. Because of that, the enjoyment I once had to create something has been sucked away from my soul. Sad right? lol.
I'd love to start this next paragraph with something all motivational, like, "Well not anymore! I'm changing!" But c'mon. That's not how things work.
It's likely that I will always set the bar to a height I can't reach. It's not hard to do, I'm only 5'8", lol. <- nice joke big dawg!
But, if I can hold that comment in my conscious mind as I approach going about things, maybe I can shift my thinking to get past the soul crushing and self loathing effects of not living up to what I want myself to be. Maybe I'll get to a place where I feel that it's okay to be at whatever level I'm at... that it's okay to be me.