Comparing isn't helpful

I wish a had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say, "No one else is this messed up" or "Nobody else could possibly be as indecisive as I am." Or perhaps it's "No one can understand because others wouldn't have let this happen"—or "Everyone else has it together." In the past I have said similar things myself. Have you?

I've learned something along the way, however: Everyone has "stuff." Every person on the planet has issues, difficulties and challenges. No one's life is perfect, no matter how it looks on the outside. And that's the key phrase: "on the outside."

My wise friend Gayle often reminds me, "Don't judge your inside by somebody else's outside." And she is so right. If you look at the turmoil going on inside you over whatever is most challenging you right now and compare it to another person's life as it appears on the outside, you're not making a fair comparison at all. That's not even apples and oranges; it's more like cucumbers and chimpanzees!

Let's just accept that everyone has "stuff." No exceptions. And then let's get on with what to do about our own issues. Are you at choice about something today? Do you need some change in a relationship, attitude, your job or career choice? What holds you back? You do have a choice: Make today the day you move forward.