Comparisons

 It’s human nature to compare.

We do it almost unconsciously - with friends, colleagues, neighbours, sometimes even strangers we come across for a fleeting moment. Someone’s doing better at work, someone else seems fitter, wealthier, more accomplished. And before we realise it, our minds start measuring - not with contentment, but with quiet restlessness.

For the longest time, I lived with that same pattern - comparing myself to others, to what I thought I should have achieved by now, or to the version of success that the world so easily celebrates. But over time, I’ve come to see how misleading that lens can be. Each of us carries a different story, a different pace, a different mix of strengths and struggles. Comparison across lives is never fair - it’s like comparing a river to a mountain. Both are beautiful, just in different ways.

The real comparison, I’ve realised, is inward. It’s between who I was five or ten years ago, and who I am today. Between how I used to respond to challenges, and how I do now. Between how I once viewed the world, and how I understand it today.

Growth isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s quiet - hidden in patience, in kindness, in self-awareness, in the ability to let go a little faster than before. When I look at myself through that lens, I find perspective, and oddly, peace. The other honest comparison, perhaps, is between what I’m achieving and what I’m truly capable of. Am I stretching enough? Am I using the gifts I’ve been given to their fullest? That’s the kind of comparison that fuels growth, not envy.

Outer comparisons often drain us; inner ones strengthen us. The former distracts us, while the latter one grounds us. In the end, the only person we need to be better than is the one we were yesterday.

Real growth begins when the measure shifts from others to ourselves.