Learning From Felix: Not Comparing Ourselves To Others

When I compare my sense of fashion to someone else’s, it doesn’t make my clothes better. If I compare my talents, or accomplishments to someone else’s, it doesn’t make me more successful.

And when Felix started comparing himself to the fireflies, it didn’t make him a firefly, did it? Of course we know that comparing ourselves to other people won’t help anything, so why do we keep doing it? It’s almost impossible not to, and everyone does it! Those people we think are more successful or better looking than us, are doing the same thing. Maybe they’re even comparing themselves to you!

I think there are two main reasons we do this, and two really easy ways to stop.

First off, we’re looking outward for happiness and fulfillment, when the truth is, we are in charge of our own happiness. If we learn to love what and who we are, like Felix did, it won’t matter what others have. Looking inward can be scary. There might be things in there that we don’t like.

But we can’t ever grow or change without looking inside. And once we face those things we don’t like about ourselves, we have the power to change them, and also embrace the fact that we’re not perfect, and neither is anybody else.

Second, we have to start realizing that the success of others doesn’t mean that there is less success available for us. In the world we live in, sometimes if feels like there is a limited amount of talent and beauty to go around. That’s so silly! Talent and beauty, success and achievement, etc., those things don’t fit in a box. There are so many different ways that someone can be talented, successful, beautiful, and accomplished. We all have different passions and things that we’re best at, and finding those things in ourselves, and helping other people find that in themselves is what makes the world such a diverse and beautiful place!

So, let’s all agree to take Felix’s lesson to heart and stop comparing ourselves to other people. I know I said before it would be easy...well, it does take practice. Old habits... you know? But if we can catch ourselves when we’re looking outward for approval, as opposed to inward, and when we find ourselves getting jealous or envious of other people, eventually we’ll have new habits. Habits of loving ourselves, and of being able to see and love the light in others, without feeling that our light is dimmer or less important.