Have you ever compared your life to someone else's?
If you're anything like me, you probably find this easy to do. It's so easy to look at someone and assume you know everything there is to know about them. Everyone makes assumptions about people based on their appearance, body language and so on. Some view this as being judgmental, but what person doesn't do this everyday? If you can honestly say you never have any prejudgments about someone or think their life is a certain way based on their appearance, then more power to you. Unfortunately, I find it easy to make assumptions about people and compare my life to theirs.
It's too easy just looking at someone and thinking they have a better life than you or have it more together than you. The reason it's so easy is because you're probably wrong. There's no way you can accurately tell what someones life is truly like just by looking at them. You may get a glimpse and be right in some respects but there's no way you know everything about a person just by their looks. So why do we still do this?
I think people in general are a little self absorbed. When you're going through something that is challenging it can become all you think about. When life gets hard it's easy to look at someone else and want what you think they have. The key word there is think, you think you know how someone is doing but in actuality they might be having a really bad day, week or even month. You would be surprised what people can go through and seem just fine on the outside. You really don't know what a person is going through unless they tell you. For instance, I was having an off day and feeling a little down on myself and one of my friends approached me and starting talking. She asked how I was doing and I just said okay and asked how she was. She then told me how stressed out she was over an assignment and that she wasn't feeling too great either. This conversation really stuck out to me. Until she told me she was really stressed out, I had no idea. I even thought to myself, based on her appearance, that she had it more together than I did. When in reality we were in the exact same boat. Whenever I start to compare my life to others I remember this conversation. I remind myself that everyone has their own struggles even if it's not noticeable to others.
I think once you come to the realization that you don't know what other people are going through, you find yourself more understanding towards others. I like to think that we as people are more alike than we are different. We are alike in that everyone has their own hardships and struggles but still tries to seem okay. Whether you work, go to school or anything in between, there is probably someone in the same boat as you. Someone who is going through something similar to your situation, they just haven't told you. This also serves as a good reminder that you are not alone in your hardships. When life gets tough it's easy to think no one else would understand or that the world is against you. That couldn't be further from the truth. If you allow yourself to open up to others or someone you trust you would be surprised by their hardships and the support you gain.
Life is a challenge no doubt, but everyone has their own problems and things they are going through. It's important to remember that "comparison is the thief of joy" (Theodore Roosevelt). No good will come from comparing your life to what you think someone else's is. Also, your depiction of someone's life is probably inaccurate anyway, so there's really no point. It's important to remember that everyone has their own struggles and that you are not alone in yours.
