COMPARISION
How it is a good thing

I was recently reflecting on comparison. Comparing ourselves with other people, comparing our lives with theirs.
So much frustration and suffering can be sourced from comparing ourselves constantly.

So why do we do it? Comparison is hard-wired into our brain. However, through Meditation it is possible to minimise or see through this tendency. It takes time, but it will happen.

The good news is that comparison is within your control.

You can redirect your tendency to compare yourself with other people or things and the stories you create around them.

Comparing things you simply cannot change – such as your family, your height, your nationality – or comparing yourself with people you don’t like, or about things you don’t really care about, will cause deep suffering. It will simply create a stream of negative stories in your mind, ultimately causing you to feel powerless.

Alternatively, you can use comparison for inspiration! Compare yourself to those who you night feel are ahead of you, achieving dreams you aspire to, in things that are meaningful to you and related to your values. Allow yourself to feel empowered to achieve them! If you need encouragement, compare yourself to a younger version of yourself when you were less wise, or to those behind you, and celebrate how far you’ve come!

You cannot stop comparing. Comparison is inevitable. But you have a choice to compare in an empowering way, or a disempowering way. So choose wisely and act accordingly.

Try writing out a list of all the comparisions you make in your mind. Consider which of these is empowering and which are simply disempowering. Then consider what you can do to increase the number of comparisons that empower you? Spend some minutes in self-reflection.

When it comes to the disempowering comparisons, make a conscious effort to not follow their lead when they arise in your mind, knowing that they do not serve you.

If you have joined our self-paced Online Meditation training course, you can practice the guided meditation ‘Letting Go’ to master this technique and practice in your own time. This will assist you to work with comparison in a positive way and release yourself of comparisons that do not serve your ultimate happiness!