By Sarah West
I think I could stay connect 24/7 and never fully reached the mecca of the blogging world. It seems that every time I figure out what is the latest and greatest, it changes. I am left scratching my head, scouring the internet for what is trending and deemed successful for the next millisecond.
By no means am I saying that there is not some tried and true methods to all the blogging madness. I am very fortunate to have some individuals/groups in my corner that have helped me successfully navigate some of the forks in the blogging road. However, what I find to be alarming is that many of us are trying to fit a mold that we were never intended to fit. I see a lot of people beating their heads against the social media wall, walking away defeated and confused. If I am not careful, I can easily fall back down that rabbit hole.
Comparison is a slippery slope and one that we all must be careful to avoid.
And falling into the comparison trap is not just part of the blogging world. Comparisons are part of everyday life as well and we can thank social media for feeding that beast.
At any point of the day, you can log on to your virtual world and see image after image telling you how wonderful everyone else’s life is. It can leave you questioning your choices and yourself.
Why can’t my family look like the [Jones] family?
I wish we could go on a beautiful, exotic vacation like our friends.
I will never look like her in a bathing suit.
My husband never brings me flowers.
What’s wrong with my life?
Why does this Facebook page have more likes than mine?
Why isn’t anyone reading my book or following my blog etc.?
You can fill in your tale of woe as you wish, but the point is comparisons are killing us. Comparisons are putting a pressure on us and our families that are impossible to live up to. In fact, the voids we are demanding filled from our jobs, our families and ourselves were never meant to be fulfilled by us, but God.
Is success wrong? Is the desire for more in our life/career a bad thing?
No! The motives, however, behind our why will greatly determine our fulfillment and drive in both our personal and professional lives.
I posted a snapshot my husband took of me over the weekend. I wrote above the picture that the same God that created all of THIS is the same God that created US. I wanted to remind people that the God who created such beautiful masterpieces in this world also created the beautiful masterpiece in each of us.
Comparison will rob of us that truth.
Don’t allow your worth to be taken away because of what you see on the computer screen or the lives of others.
You were not meant to fit that mold. Stop trying.
(If you liked this article, you can read more here on the trap of comparison.
Thank you for this, Sarah. Just last night I was really struggling with the comparison trap. There is so much to learn about this blogging world, and at times, I feel as though I will never make sense of it. I think that I am just going to continue writing my heart, however, and keep my eyes on what inspires me, instead of what deflates me. Lovely piece!
Like that- do what inspires not deflates!
I have to often remind myself of this very thing. It’s so easy, especially as blogger, to fall into the trap of comparing not just your blog, but everything about your life to another. And I think that is why so many successful bloggers’ #1 advice is be yourself because otherwise it becomes obvious that you are not being authentic.