"Comparison is the thief of joy."As humans, we look at the world around us. We see people that have more than us, we see people with less. I’m guilty of comparison. I play in a men’s basketball league and these days my body feels like I have been hit by a train after I finish playing. (unrelated fun fact to the blog) The competitor in me always scans the court and compare my talents as they stack up against who I am playing. This isn’t healthy because my competition shouldn’t determine my thoughts or actions. I believe comparison is in our human nature no matter what environment we are in. Whether you look around the gym, office, or your friend group, I would bet you have similar experiences comparing yourself to others.
When listening to a podcast this week, the guest said, “Average people, which in a way we all are, generally compare themselves to others. Extraordinary people compare themselves to their potential.” The awesome part about this comparison is that when we feel like we are approaching our potential, that goal just extends itself. Our potential is truly unlimited. When we start comparing ourselves to others we limit our possibilities which ultimately steals our joy. Sounds great and fluffy right??? Here are a few practical steps I’m going to use next Monday when I take the court.
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The real test of friendship is can you literally do nothing with the other person? Can you enjoy those moments of life that are utterly simple?”There are a lot of really cheesy “best” friend quotes. Here is my favorite: “If you live to be 100, I hope I live to be 100 minus 1 day, so I never have to live without you.” Now in the quotes defense, it was said by Winnie the Pooh. My wife and I have this debate about “best” friends. She claims to have multiple best friends. I always argue back that best means, singular or second to none, so it is impossible to have multiple “best” friends. It really is a pointless debate but it is fun to get everyone all amped up and it usually ends in laughter. Relationships are everything. My best friend is named Dimitri. We were childhood friends that played sports together and lived down the street from one another. When I reflect on the question, “Can you enjoy the moments of life that are utterly simple?” I think about our friendship. One of my favorite simple moments was on our wedding day. Our photographer got the vibe that our wedding party liked to have fun. He suggested that we do the cake cutting a little differently. After we cut the first piece, we would act like we were going to cram the cake in each other’s face for a photo with the best man (Dimitri) and the Maid of Honor (Stephanie) by our sides. When he counted to 3, instead of smashing each other’s face with cake, we would turn and slam the cake into our friends faces. It was a simple moment that resulted in an awesome memory. Even though we don’t see each other as much as we’d like now that we are “grown ups”, I still cherish all of our simple moments and our relationship.
This week, connect with your “best” friend or friends if you’re my wife. I promise you won’t regret it. |