I turn 33 in just a few short days (on the 28th!), and every time my birthday rolls around, I start reflecting on my life, where I’m at, how far I’ve come (or regressed if that’s the case lol), and simply take a moment to be thankful for the story God has written for me.
In times of scarcity and in times of abundance, I never want to forget all that God has done in my life.
"He did all this so you would never say to yourself, ‘I have achieved this wealth with my own strength and energy.’ Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath." -Deuteronomy 8:17-18 NLT
Regardless of where I’m at, I know God is always working and has good things planned for me, and I can trust that.
“The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” -Psalm 138:8 NLT
Prior to me getting off of social media (if you missed that email, you can read it here), I used to really struggle with comparison.
I’d look at my friends, my family, my peers, and compare their accomplishments to my own (or lack thereof).
During those times of struggle, I would always lean on these reminders ⤵️
1️⃣ Her success is not your failure.
Just because she achieved the goal faster than you doesn't mean the goal is off the table for you!
Find inspiration in her accomplishment because her achieving the goal means you can achieve it as well.
2️⃣ You are unique and cannot be compared to someone else.
We each have our own unique gifts, and those gifts, talents, successes, etc. are entirely unique to you and who God made you to be.
You are too unique to be properly compared to anyone else.
You can't compare pizza to donuts!
Yes, they both taste delicious, but at the end of the day, they are completely different, just like we are.
We all move through life at different paces with different purposes.
3️⃣ You are only in control of what YOU do.
You cannot control someone else's successes, but you can control yours by the things you do daily.
Focus on improving yourself.
Write down your own goals, and make your own actionable success plan.
Rather than looking at where someone else is at, pay attention to where you were at this time last year or this time five years ago.
If you have improved even a little bit, you are well on your way to success.
4️⃣ There are wonderful things happening in your life at this very moment.
When you are thankful for the things you have, you will feel happier and more content regardless of your circumstances, and when you're happy with where you are in life, you aren't concerned with with what other people are doing.
5️⃣ Social media does not always reflect reality.
It is easy to get sucked into the comparison trap when we are constantly face to face with the best parts of everyone else's lives.
Limit your time on social media (or get off all together).
6️⃣ You do not have the complete picture of someone's life.
Maybe they achieved a goal in record time, but you don't know the sacrifices they made, the sleep they lost, the extremes they may have gone to to achieve the goal in the time they did.
Take a breath and remind yourself that your journey is YOURS, and no matter where you are in life right now, you are exactly where you are supposed to be ✨
"Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else." -Galatians 6:4 NLT
I hope these reminders were encouraging to you, too!
Here’s to another year around the sun! 💫
