(Estimated reading time 1 minute)

Like the seductive lure of sugar-laden treats or fried food, comparison with others promises a great deal but at best leaves us feeling dissatisfied. At worst comparison with others extinguishes both joy and confidence. Testing ourselves against the template of someone else will either have us coming last and feeling bad about it, or finding a way to diminish the other to steal the affirmation we so desperately seek. Either way it obscures our light in a way that makes us believe there is nothing luminous about any of us and that’s a dark world to inhabit.

When we strip away a piece of someone else’s humanity by failing to recognise and celebrate the light in them, we do it at the cost of some of our own. We begin to live in a world of fear, of hatred, of mistrust. It is a slippery slope to learn the habit of diminishing another in order to feel worthy in comparison. Hollow is the confidence that comes at the cost of making someone else look bad. It does not fan the flames of creativity, hope, joy or courage. When we gain courage and confidence by putting others down,there is no soul deep knowledge that we are full of brilliance and potential, only a vague unease and an awareness that we are not what we seem.

Let go of the scarcity created by comparison. There is no short supply of value or potential.

I’m passionate about helping people recognize what’s holding them back and inspiring them to move beyond the shadows towards clarity, compassion, courage and confidence.