Comparison

I am fortunate enough to work with one of my best friends.  It wasn't always that way, but as the years went on we found ourselves growing closer and closer.  Now it's hard for us to go home on the weekends and not see each other for 2 days!  Our other co-workers tease us about how our conversations wander.  We can go from "My succulents are dying! I thought they were indestructible!?" to "See if GrubHub will deliver Chick-fil-A here!" in less than 3 minutes.  We often talk about our goals and dreams, and we really do our best to motivate and encourage each other along the way, but there's one thing that sometimes creeps into our conversations that we wish we could stop.

Comparison.

"Comparison is the thief of joy."

That has been the quote of the week...month...year.

Honestly, have you ever paid attention to how often you think or say "I wish I had______ like ________?"  I know it's a sentence I found myself saying WAY too often.

I will be the first to admit, I LOVE IG.  I am on it all. the. time.  And while it's great for finding style tips, recipes, make-up ideas, and ASMR videos, it also takes a toll on the ol' self-esteem.  We live in the time of the over share.  We share what we eat, our workout, what we wear, where we are, etc. etc. etc. and it is easy to fall into the "highlight reel" trap.  I do it, too.  We all do, but each time someone tells me I'm "photogenic" I want to whip out my phone and show them the other hundred selfies that didn't make the cut.  Each time someone tells me they wish they had my confidence I want to tell them about all of the times I've called Helen while leaving the Marshall's dressing room in tears because nothing looks good.

I'm not ashamed to admit it's happened.

I think we've all been there.

It's taken me 29 years to say that I am finally in a place where I feel good - about myself - about my life.  I am so glad that I am in a place that I can immediately recognize when the comparisons start and tell myself "No, that's not what you do.  That's not who you are.  Stay in your lane." And I think that's important for us all.  If you'll remember, I lost quite a bit of weight for our wedding, and quickly packed it back on.  It took me AWHILE to work through that and get to this point.  A year or two ago I would have never, ever, EVER even snapped this picture, and I certainly wouldn't have posted it, but here we are.

This is me, and I am more than okay with it.

The bottom line is that we all have to stop with the imaginary contest that is happening in our brains.  You are amazing and beautiful and you can do all the things, so go do what makes you happy.  Post what makes you happy.  Be whatever it is that makes you happy.


xo-Kellie