Comparison Killed the Cat

When was the last time you compared yourself to someone around you?

Comparing yourself to other people isn’t always a bad thing. Comparison can be constructive if it motivates you to do better, but more often than not, it can become a dangerous habit that must be broken.

Comparing myself to others is something I personally struggle with, so I understand how it feels. I understand the discouragement it can bring. It's easy to fall down a rabbit hole of comparing yourself to others, which can distort your view of yourself. Don’t tear yourself down with negative self-talk because others around you may seem to have something you feel you are lacking. If you do this everywhere you go, every time you move, you will only destroy yourself.

As military kids, we are shaped by so many different experiences and people throughout our lives in all the places we go that it is impossible to “fit the mold” of the community we are currently in, as tough as it may be to accept. We are influenced and changed by such diverse environments and communities that it is easy to feel out of place, to feel different in so many ways from our peers, which can lead us to compare ourselves to those around us. This can be very discouraging, especially at our ages, when this internal comparison is greatly amplified.

In our communities, especially at school, there can be so much pressure, not only to do well academically, as the education systems in all the places we move around to are so different, but to simply fit in. We come across so many different places that it’s a given that we won’t fit in everywhere we go. We have to come to terms with the fact that, yes, we will stick out from our peers, because we haven’t grown up in the same area with the same people as most. So, of course, we will be different in some ways, and that’s okay.

Even if you may feel lacking in some ways sometimes, remember: we all have individual strengths that make us who we are, so don’t let yourself get bogged down by the negativity of comparison. Try not to let comparison stop you from trying things because you don’t feel as qualified or smart or whatever it may be, as your peers. Just continue to do your personal best in all you do, and you’ll go far.