The Joy Thief

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

-- Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. Skinny Bitch, p. 224.

You might not expect to find much wisdom in a book entitled Skinny Bitch. But if that were your expectation, you'd be dead wrong! Ostensibly an in-your-face book on healthy eating, Skinny Bitch is phat on a wisdom of all kinds. It's especially strong on reminding you to live what you know to be true.

"Do not compare," while not one of the original Ten Commandments, is a strong candidate to make the next ten. Comparison can lead to only one of two results. Either you feel superior to whomever or whatever you are comparing yourself against, or you feel all bummed and shitty because you pale in comparison to the other. Either pride or depression results, and neither are hallmarks of enlightened living.

Face it. There will always be someone who is richer, stronger, better looking, smarter, even skinnier, than you! You're never going to win, never going to be numero uno in an all out battle royale. And granted, you'll always be in comparatively better shape on every dimension of existance than some poor, fat, ugly, stupid slob. So what?

What matters is being true to yourself, not comparing yourself to some specific, or mythic, other. Are you being the best you that you can be? This is a far more important question to ask yourself than whether you're better than someone else. And the answer to this question, to all the really important questions, comes from within. Intuitive wisdom will lead you where you want to go much faster than comparison will.

And where is it you want to go? Where do you want to be? In joy, of course. Enjoying life.

So, just for today, quit comparing. Accept who you are, where you are. Find joy within both yourself and this moment. And let that joy be your catalyst to move forward to wherever you want to go.