“Comparison is the Thief of Joy”

Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

What did he mean by that? He meant that your life, the life you’re living right now, isn’t so bad; that is until you start comparing it with everyone else’s.

Elon Musk sums it up this way: “Happiness is reality minus expectations. If you just go try living in the woods by yourself for a while, you’ll learn that civilization is quite great.”

Think about that for a moment. What it’s telling you is comfort is invisible until you’re sleeping in the dirt.

Reality hasn’t gotten worse. By every measure, it’s the best it’s ever been. Expectations have.

When you were young, you compared yourself with your friends and family. That was your whole universe. As long as you could keep up with them, you were happy. Today, as soon as you turn on your phone, you’re comparing yourself with thousands of strangers. The worst part is much of what you see isn’t real. It’s exaggerated, filtered, and made up. It’s showing you a life that doesn’t exist. If you try to keep up with those idiots, you find yourself running towards a finish line that never stops moving.

The most dangerous lie of this generation isn’t that life is hard, it’s that everyone else has figured it out and you’re the only one who didn’t.

When I think of life with Myasthenia Gravis, I sometimes fail to see how well I’m really doing. I get around well, I’m still writing blogs, in fact, there’s only a few things I’m unable to do.

As soon as I start comparing my life with the lives of those around me or online is when I run into trouble. I see people snow skiing. I used to love to snow ski, but I can’t today. My legs are too weak. I watch people singing. I used to enjoy singing, but today my voice gets hoarse after a verse or two. I see people playing basketball, pickleball, and baseball and I wonder how long my legs would last if I tried playing any of those sports. 

Instead of enjoying my life as it is, I allow comparison to steal my joy. Instead of viewing life through a portal of what all I have, I view it through a portal of what I don’t.

It’s during those times that I have to put gratitude in my attitude. I have to realize that although life may not be perfect, it’s still pretty good.

Myasthenia Gravis still plays dirty tricks on me, but I’m alive. MG prevents me from enjoying long walks, but I can still enjoy all the beautiful things God has created in nature during short walks. MG makes me hoarse, but sometimes it’s better if I just shut up and listen. MG makes it difficult for me to eat an entire steak because my jaws become fatigued, but that half a steak sure tastes good and I can enjoy the rest tomorrow.

Your reality only becomes worse if you fail to appreciate it. It only becomes worse if you set expectations too high and then are unable to achieve them. Quit comparing your life to anyone else’s or even with your life in the past. Yes, there may be some things you’re unable to do today that you used to be able to do, but there are plenty of new things you can do today that you never even imagined doing in your old life. Just enjoy them.

Comparison may be the thief of joy, but appreciation is its creator.