Ahh, social media. What a great way to connect with others and discover new things. But unfortunately it often ends up being a platform to judge ourselves from.

I have caught myself plenty of times feeling jealous of other’s accomplishments. But I always catch these feelings straight away, and force myself to step back and realize that I am actually happy for that person.

First you have to realize that you have no idea how much effort and work went into their accomplishment. And just because someone has had a very successful registration or a huge uptick in followers doesn’t mean that you are negatively effected by that or that it means you’re failing.

This comparison game goes way way way back, further than I care to dig. Think back to sports and GPA’s in high school, internships in college, promotions, magazine articles, whatever it may be as adults.

I’m here to tell you to do you. You are your own person, on your own journey. And we all know we should not be comparing ourselves to what we see on other’s Facebook or Instagram. Because that’s not the full picture. Even if they tell you the good news to your face, you don’t know the background story.

I remember going out to eat with my girlfriends last year, and listening to two of them talk about preparing for yearly reviews and prepping to ask for raises. And I’m over there hitting my hummus, thinking to myself, “Ugh they’re so much further along in this whole adult thing that I am. What am I doing?” And I found myself comparing where I was at with my work life to where they were in theirs.

And you can’t do that. It’s comparing apples to oranges my friend. When I thought about it further later on I realized, “Hey girl, you don’t even want to be a part of that world, where you have to worry about yearly reviews and asking for a promotion or a raise.”

I made a very clear decision after college to not venture down that path. So, why am I sitting over here comparing myself to it?

We have to realize that we’re all just creating our empires in our own, unique way. Even those in the same field of work as you don’t always have the same desires in life that you do.

Look to others for motivation and inspiration. But only compare yourself to where you have been. It’s the only way to do it.

Dig out that old journal from two years ago, and I guarantee you’ll get a little self-esteem boost. Because sometimes we forget how far we’ve come, and all we need is a little reminder to give ourselves a pat on the back.

How do you stop yourself from this tired, old comparison game?