Comparison is the thief of joy.

This simple statement can be taken in so many different ways. Let’s look at a few shall we?!

One way to look at it is from a possession stand point. Let’s say you own a $100,000 house and you really enjoy your house. It’s the perfect house for you. Then you meet some new friends and you discovered they have a $200,000 house. Suddenly you are comparing your home with their’s and now your perfect house that gave you some much joy doesn’t anymore. You compared houses and viewed the other house to be better. Instead you should be happy with what you have. Value of one item to the next doesn’t really determine the joy you can have or have.

Another way to look at it is from a skill stand point. Let’s say you are a student of Taekwondo and are working very hard at a certain kick. It’s hard for you but you are enjoying the challenge. It is making you better and you are feeling good about your progress. Now let’s say someone else joins the class you are taking and they suddenly can do the kick better then you. You start comparing yourself to them. You lose your joy of that kick because someone else is better. When really you should look at what you started and how far you have come.

You should never feel the need to compare yourself to someone else. Everyone has different skills, abilities, possessions, lifestyle, and etc,. You have no idea what they have had to do to get where they are. You do things differently so you can’t expect to be comparable. You should wake up every morning and be thankful for what you have and what you plan on doing to make yourself better that day.

Life is filled with so much more joy if you focused on what you have and what you are doing. No need to worry about others. There is no room in your life to compare yourself with others. It’s not worth it to you.

Master Jonathan Field

Cobourg Tae Kwon Do Ltd. – Northumberland County’s #1 Martial Arts Academy

Cobourg Tae Kwon Do University – Online Taekwondo/Martial Arts Training