Why Do I Compare?

Do you do it? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you try to measure your worth by putting yourself up against someone else’s talents? I do. I find myself doing this a lot and it drags me down. Why do I compare?

Here I sit. It’s July. The middle of July. And I wake up and I think, “What a waste of time. What have I done in the last three months?” and I get down on myself thinking that I have done nothing. When really, I’ve done SO much! My sinful nature tells me I’m worthless and I start comparing myself to the ‘other moms’. But WHY? Why do I slip into comparing myself to others so easily? Why do I compare?

“Why?!”

Have you done it? Do you get down on yourself because you’ve compared yourself to other moms? Maybe you’re a teenager and you’re comparing yourself to other teens and the successes they have found during ‘shut down’. Why do we do this to ourselves? It’s like self torture! Why do we compare?

Here’s the thing. I think we watch too much YouTube and we’re on our social media too frequently. (and maybe all of this is really just me, maybe you compare yourself to something or someone else, but hear me out) You know why I think that? (well, it’s true, admit it) Because what happens is, we see these YouTube stars and see that they are just normal people. We think we could do that too. But truthfully, if we could do that too, we’d already be doing it! Right? YouTube and Instagram videos look so realistic and so achievable! We think we could totally make videos like that… and also make millions! (and if not millions, thousands is still a good side hustle, am I right?)

Here’s the thing I have to keep telling myself: There’s so much more than recording a video. There’s recording endless amounts of continued content for my viewers. (assuming I get viewers besides my mom and dad) There’s all the video editing, and all the takes to MAKE the videos! Then there’s getting the channel monetized and on and on…. this is a full time job, you guys! Why do I compare myself to these things?

“Why Can’t I Be More Like Them?”

The people making those videos (okay, I’ll name them… the Holderness Family, for instance… aren’t they amazing?!) are talented people. They have made YouTube their full time job! They are so much fun on camera but just like the movies, this isn’t real life! They have an ‘off camera’ side! That’s the part I want to see. And it’s not just the Holderness Family I’m talking about (because, for real, they’re probably fun ALL the time) but other YouTubers too. They have bad days, but they don’t show it on camera! They fight with their famlies, their kids think they’re old and lame, but they don’t show that part on their channels.

My point is, their talent is not just making videos and being fun on screen. They know how to run a business! They know so much more about YouTube etc than I do. So when I start comparing myself to them and wonder why I can’t make those millions making videos of my kids? and why can’t I be that creative? or why didn’t I think of that? Because that’s NOT my skill set! That’s not why I’m here on this earth. I shouldn’t compare myself to something that is not me.

YouTube is there for entertainment. We have to stop comparing ourselves to their successes! Take YouTube out of the equation for a minute! What other things have you compare yourself to? I’ll answer first… All those amazing artists out there willing to spend the money to try some new craft that turns into some amazing side business while you’re stuck at home! Good for you! I so wish I could make something turn out looking anything but a Pinterest Fail! They make it look so easy!

My “Ah-Ha” Moment

I have to come to grips with the fact that those are not my talents… yet. I teach my kids that they’re not expected to get something right on the first or second or even the third try, but if they really want it, they should keep practicing. So, maybe that’s advice for me as well. But if it isn’t my thing, I have to be okay with it. I don’t have the ability to put in full time hours to work a YouTube channel or create my own art business. I’m good at other things!

I have kids.

I have four kids. And they’re active. So, what have I done with my 3 months? I spent time with my kids! I helped them finish their last quarter of school. I took them to the park. We played outside together. We sat around a fire. We ate lots of s’mores. We took pictures. We talked. We tried new recipes. We painted. We watched and helped daddy remodel our bathrooms. We rode our bikes and explored the neighborhood. We began running together. We learned how to sew. We got a kitten! We cleaned our porch. We watched daddy build a deck. We drank lemonade. We helped build a fire pit. We prayed. We watched church online. We laughed. We cried. We watched YouTube.

We did all of that TOGETHER.

Celebrate Who YOU Are!

It may not seem like much. There was no side hustle. No income to any of that and nothing tangible to show for it. But we did it all together and made lots of memories. And we know that the Lord provides. So, those thousands and millions? God provided love and teamwork instead! And a whole lot of learning within ourselves!

So, why compare? Let’s just stop! Enjoy what you have. It’s God’s gift to you!

What have you been doing with your time during this ‘shutdown’? Give us a chance to celebrate you! Please Share in the comments what you’ve been up to!

Be well, friends. Stay healthy!

God Bless!