On any given Instagram scroll you might come across a friend’s vacation pic with their feet in the sand, an acquaintance carrying the latest handbag, a relative with a new car, a new house, the perfect family photo. You think, Wow, they’ve got it together!
But do they really? Maybe. Maybe not. The point, though, isn’t whether or not their life is perfect. The point is whether or not you’re subtly comparing your life to what you perceive theirs to be.
You see, social media isn’t real life. It’s simply a highlight reel. So you can’t compare your everyday life to someone else’s highlight reel—because that’s a game you’ll never win.
In my new book Love Your Life, Not Theirs, I write about seven money habits you need to live the life you want. At the top of the list is a habit I call “Quit the Comparisons.”
These days, comparison living is an epidemic. It’s everywhere. And the only real fix for comparison living is contentment—that’s simply the inner determination to be happy and fulfilled wherever you are with whatever you have.
Content people are happy people. They’re satisfied. They don’t allow other people’s successes or failures to influence their view of themselves.
Because the truth is stuff will never, ever make you happy. The vacation, the car, the house—all of that might give you a temporary high, but it will never lead to long-term happiness.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against stuff. I love a nice purse or a new piece of jewelry, but it’s important to make sure you own stuff without your stuff owning you.
To be content, focus on everything you do have—whether that’s family, a home, friends, a good job. Try doing that for a few weeks, even a month, and see how it changes your perspective.
My guess is you’ll be more content, satisfied and simply happier with life. So let’s quit the comparisons once and for all. There’s a better way to live, so start loving your life, not theirs!
We’re giving away copies of Rachel’s new book, Love Your Life, Not Theirs, to THREE lucky readers. Enter to win below!
