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While putting away a few Christmas gifts this year, I found a note my grandma wrote. My grandma’s words warmed my heart, but what I found on the back of the note caught my attention. Grandma likes to recycle her daily quote calendar pages. This one read, Comparison is the thief of joy. –Theodore Roosevelt. A simple, yet profound quote.
Recently, I told my mom that if a spot opens at her medical sales company that I would like to apply. If you know me, you probably know that I am a much better nurse than I would be a saleswoman. At that moment I was fixated on how I could make more money (the six-month wedding bill reminders were hitting our inboxes). I convinced myself that more money was worth working at a job that is definitely not for me. My mom, being the wise woman she is, agreed to support me, but told me to pump the brakes. By the end of our conversation, I came to a simple conclusion: I am 24; I don’t have to have it all figured out.
In that brief moment of comparing myself to my mom, I convinced myself that I wasn’t doing enough. In my head I was telling myself that I could just switch jobs and would start making more money, which would solve all my problems. The reality is that my mom has worked hard for years to be at the point she is in her career. This success was not instant or easy.
In talking with friends and family around my age, I have found that comparison is common. We compare ourselves to those around us and to people we have never met, through social media. We are constantly fed highlight reels. For example, I see people getting engaged, buying new cars and homes, having babies, graduating, and getting new jobs. What we don’t see is the hard work, struggles, time and energy behind these successes. It is easy to get into the mindset of wanting more because of the comparison.
According to President Roosevelt, comparison has been around a lot longer than I thought; with the rise of social media, I don’t think it is going away anytime soon. Comparison is normal, but when we find ourselves in these spirals, we need to challenge ourselves to take a step back and remind ourselves of what we have. (Mostly, this is a reminder to myself.)
I worked hard to get into nursing school and get a job at a pediatric hospital. My job allows me to care for the most inspiring kids; how cool is that?! After work, I get to come home to a safe and warm home. I get to play with inarguably the cutest dog ever, and I have the most supportive and loving fiancé. These are things I only dreamed about a few years ago.
I get to be 24 only once, and I want to look back on this time knowing I was happy. There are things I am working towards and goals I have yet to achieve, but that’s what makes life fun, isn’t it?!
