“Comparison is the thief of joy”
Theodore Roosevelt
Dear Discouraged Friend,
I know this feeling extremely well! You see others receiving promotions, degrees, becoming homeowners, and getting engaged but you’re having a tough time obtaining your goals. You’re thinking when will it be my time? Why do I feel so left behind?
When I realized I wasn’t graduating college on time devastation hit me. My friends were celebrating their success and although I was happy for them I couldn’t help but feel like a failure.
At the time I didn’t realize that it just wasn’t my season to graduate because I wasn’t prepared. Staying behind another year was truly a blessing in disguise. My friends graduated because it was their time! God had a different plan for me and it turned out to be necessary for my growth as a person.
Stop beating yourself up about not being where you envisioned yourself to be. Some plans will change because life isn’t a straight path. It’s going to come with plenty of road blocks and dead ends but you have to keep going. It’s so easy to become discouraged when you compare your journey to another.
The one thing I’ve learned about life is that it can change in the blink of an eye. You can go from being homeless to owning a home. From dropping out of college to receiving job offers that pay more than you would have received with a degree. So be thankful and appreciate where you are now in order to grow into the next chapter of your life.
Stop the negative self talk about yourself and start seeing the good in situations. You may not be married right now but you still have time to enjoy your singleness. You may not be a homeowner right now but you can continue to save money until that day comes. You may not be where you thought you would be in life but if you keep believing in that dream of yours then you can achieve it.
“A flower does not think of competing to the flower next to it, it just blooms.”
-Zen Shin
Don’t worry about what others have accomplish. If anything, seeing your friends achieving their goals should motivate you to do the same. Everything happens at the right time. It’s better to wait for your blessing then rushing the process. Stop thinking that life is a competition and letting others success diminish what you have going on for yourself.
Don’t feel discouraged but inspired! Life is 100% of what you make it! Stay in your own lane and worry about yourself. Don’t be in a rush to figure everything out because all of the pieces will come together with patience.
Your journey is your own so enjoy it, embrace it and know that greater is coming! Don’t concern yourself with what your friends, family and others are doing put the focus on yourself and life will be easier.
Love,
xoxomissy 