Conquering Comparison

It seems the topic of comparison in weight loss has come up a ton lately. I have a lot of friends who are working toward weight loss goals, and it’s so easy to look around to see if I’m doing the right thing or sticking to it well enough. The issue is that even if someone seems to be having an easier time, that doesn’t mean it would work for me. Every weight loss journey is unique, and spending time comparing myself to others will only lead to things like discouragement and jealousy.

That being said, I think it’s important to continue to look around. Not for competition or validation, but for inspiration. There’s a big difference between looking to others for inspiration and looking to others as a measuring stick. Celebrate each other’s successes, and understand that your story will be different and that’s okay.

This isn’t just an issue when it comes to weight loss. As a woman, I know that the internet world fosters a weird competitive atmosphere where everyone is showing off their best DIY projects, best recipes, best fill-in-the-blank. There’s always going to be the temptation to look at other people’s lives and think they have it better. If you’re struggling with this, I encourage you to watch this talk by Carolyn Mahaney called the Snare of Compare. The only one worth comparing ourselves to is Jesus, and we will never come close to measuring up to Him. Praise God that He is perfect so that I don’t have to be.