Nowadays it feels impossible to enter any sphere of topic without encountering a debate or an argument. Debate runs rampant on Twitter, whether it’s pertaining to sports, politics, or something entirely hypothetical like, “Who would win in a war, 5 Captain Americas or 2 million ostriches?” Regardless of the degree of irony in these disputes, it brings up something quite serious to me, and that is how constantly people and things are being compared to each other. 

I think comparison can be a completely appropriate way of measuring things when it comes to something like a preference between two foods because you can say you like an aspect of one food that another dish doesn’t bring to the table, but backing up an opinion of one human being by comparing them to another is deeply flawed in my eyes. When two people are compared, their individuality is completely squandered, and when you strip away all the things you see on the surface of people, what is there except individuality? The only thing that cannot be taken from us as humans is the fact that we are all inherently unique. We will all live vastly different lives and there are countless variables leading us to the destinations our fates have in store for us.

In my own experience, I’ve found comparison to be severely detrimental to my livelihood. I would compare myself to my peers in a very unfair light, not only to me but to them as well. It leads to no conclusions but only to a non-constructive notion of criticism. Why should something someone else does well also be something I’m proficient at? Why do their successes indicate some sort of failure on my end? It doesn’t, because everyone has their own triumphs to be proud of, and everyone will fall short in some area they wish to excel in. 

Measuring one’s own triumphs and improvement is much easier said than done, but it’s absolutely necessary to enhance that amazing feeling of individuality. It can be discouraging to try and gauge improvement when each day feels like a rerun of the last, but what’s important to keep in mind is that self-development encapsulates all behaviors and feelings, and things won’t feel different overnight. One method of sensing progress I like is journaling. Just sitting down and being introspective about how you’ve acted and felt over the course of a day can work wonders for your own fulfillment. In a world where monetary stability is the biggest indicator of success, I find it vital for individuals to take time to congratulate themselves for things they do well.

If you believe you’re thriving without any concept of comparison in the picture, nobody ought to be able to take that from you, but another good place to start is comparing the person you are today to the person you were a week or a month prior. Whether you’re cutting out a bad habit or enhancing your routines to be more productive, give yourself the time & space to highlight your progress.

Give credit to yourself where it’s due and be constructive with yourself, change will come.