Ever had one of those moments scrolling through social media where suddenly you’re neck-deep in comparison quicksand?
You know the feeling – everyone else seems to have Instagrammable, colour-coordinated home decor and children who eat vegetables out of choice while you’re celebrating because you remembered to put on matching socks this morning.
Sidenote: Mismatched socks are a life choice and one of my signature looks!
That sneaky little voice of “not-enoughness” does a proper job on us, doesn’t it? It’s like having a full-time critic living rent-free in your head, running a PowerPoint presentation of all the ways you’re falling short.
That’s why I have Dave.
No, not another motivational speaker – Dave’s my comparison cactus!
He sits there wearing sunglasses, looking utterly ridiculous, reminding me that comparing myself to others is about as productive as placing him on my chair and sitting on him – it brings no growth, no joy, and creates a literal pain in the backside!
The truth is, we’re all comparing our messy backstage to everyone else’s perfectly curated front stage. It’s like trying to judge your attempt at cooking egg on toast in the air fryer skills against The Bosh Boys latest plant-based Instagram masterpiece – not exactly a fair fight, is it?
Here’s what I’ve learned from Dave. Yes, I’m taking life lessons from a cactus – stay with me:
- That person you’re comparing yourself to? They’ve got their own inner critic too. Theirs probably has a PhD in making them feel rubbish about the exact things you admire about them!
- Your chaos navigation skills, your perfectly imperfect way of showing up, your full-fat self – that’s your superpower. Not some watered-down, Instagram-filtered version of someone else’s highlight reel.
- The s****y committee in your head (as named by my full-of-wisdom mate Serena – you know, the ones having endless meetings about your inadequacies?) They’re working with outdated data and using your past as a script for your future.
So here’s my challenge to you this week: Get yourself a Dave (or any other young-fella-mi-lad who takes your fancy!)
So get yourself a cactus (or any small reminder) to catch yourself when you’re falling into the comparison trap. Every time you notice yourself falling into not-enoughness let it be your signal to turn down the volume on comparison-itis and turn up the volume on your own uniqueness.
Oh and welcome to being human!
My best
Jaz
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