Everyone is dealing with something. Some are better than others at hiding that fact. Some telegraph their problems a mile away! It is folly to compare your life and situation to that of someone else. Doing so can cause unnecessary stress in your life.
But if you should choose to you compare the surface of your life with the surface of the life of someone else, you might go away thinking you got the short end of the stick: they have more, do more, are closer to their ideals than you are to yours, have more friends, and so forth. This kind of comparison can leave you feeling bereft, inferior, hopeless, angry, jealous, or sad. And it could be totally false…the surface may not be an accurate picture of what lies beneath.
When you make this kind of comparison, you have two choices. You may choose to compare yourself to people who have more than you and use them as a model for your aspirations. You can let there perceived success inspire you! Or you can compare yourself to those who have less than you have. In this case, you can be reminded of just how lucky you are and how much you have for which to be thankful.
Either way, your attitude about a comparison can lead you away from envy and stress toward a state of gratitude. And that’s a much better place in which to find yourself.