real talk, comparing yourself to others

This is my first lifestyle post and these will be more about things that I face in life that I am sure many of you do too. The lifestyle and travel page will also obviously contain some travel posts so keep an eye out for those! But for now these will be more of real life talks so if you'd rather stick around and wait for the next health/fashion/beauty post keep an eye out cause there will be more soon! This is just my way of saying some things that I think need to be said and that someone out there may need to hear, so here we go guys let's get real.

I feel like in today's world it's impossible not to compare our life and everything about us to those around us. We spend a majority of our day staring at others through a screen and scrolling through their life. And of course, envy and insecurity can more than enough sneak up and stab us in the back when we pass those endless amount of girls that are prettier than us, or the guys that somehow have enough money to travel the world everyday rather than have to sit at school or work, or just the people that seem to be so happy that they have zero cares in the world (while we all seem to have more than we can count). We see this and we question ourselves, that extra pound we gained, or the breakout we can't seem to get rid of, the fact that our bank accounts are empty, or that last week we broke down in our car for literally no reason at all and feel like an emotional mess. I say we because this is stuff that I struggled with for the longest time. I would compare my life to an image and allow my thoughts to consume me because I would tell myself I'd never be as beautiful or as successful or as rich as the person I see in front of me. And it's not just social media guys, I remember days I used to go to the gym and I would become so self conscious as soon as I saw someone who I felt like was better than me. I'd shut down and want to leave because I felt like everyone around me was superior and it put me in a little corner where I wanted to hide away until I didn't feel that way anymore.

I struggled with this for years, some worse than others and I cannot tell you how much it took for me to force myself out of that mindset but now I can say that I am so glad I did. No amount of people telling me how pretty or lucky or smart I was took away those feelings I felt. No amount of people telling me what my worth is, yeah this would help temporarily but in the long run a week later I'd be in that same spot comparing myself to everyone around me. It didn't stop until one day I decided I didn't want to feel like this anymore. I knew all along just how worthy and capable I was but I would ignore it because rather than realizing the amazing qualities I have, I was too worried about the ones I didn't have. But it came to a point where it was time for this to be over. I took notice of everything wonderful about myself and even the things that weren't and I embraced them. What is the good in sitting around all day feeling sorry for ourselves because we want to be where someone else is, or even be someone else, no that's a waste of time. I decided to begin putting my energy towards cherishing who I am in this present moment and pushing myself to become better everyday in all I do. And girls and guys I strongly encourage you to do the same! Half the people you are comparing yourself to aren't even real, they're filters or photo shop, also the real people you do see and compare yourself too are going through the exact same thing you do and if not they have their own battles they're facing, no ones perfect. Either way you are the only you in this world and you are so special, and we should all strive on our differences because they are what make us stand out!

So next time you have those thoughts scrolling through insta or going out in public, remind yourself just how great you are and how much of a future you are capable of having, get out there and put your time and energy towards you! You deserve it. And remind yourself everyday that you have just as much of a chance at an amazing life as everyone around you, it's all about how you decide to look at it and do with it.