Dear Happy Asses,
The original version of this quote, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” is attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. The version above—“Comparison is the thief of success”—I heard on a podcast, and I thought it was food for fodder. I spoke about it briefly on my Insta, but I would love to dive into it and relate it to things that have happened in my life, and I suspect in yours too.
It is pretty obvious to believe that comparison is the thief of joy in our modern world. How many times have I looked at the talents of others and thought, I wish I had that talent, while neglecting the talent that is right before me? I think this is especially true for many of us because we see people who can sing beautifully, or dance like they were born that way, or artists who can take a brush and create a masterpiece. It all seems like a gift from God that we may not have gotten.
But what did we get? I think about that a lot and wonder if we take the time to ask God, What is my gift? We all have them, yet we are usually pretty inept at recognizing our own gifts while quickly seeing them in others.
The one thing I think God gave me was a compassionate and forgiving heart and the ability to see the good in almost anything. That has been a gift, but it can also be my downfall if I let it. I am constantly working on looking inward to determine what of myself to give and what of myself to hold back—as a type of boundary for my mental and physical health. I think that may be a continuous journey, and with God’s help and reflection, I believe I’ll come close to the peace of that.
I do believe that God has put me here to love, so my quest is to find deeper and more meaningful ways to love myself and then others—the order of that is quite important. I neglect all the have-to’s and the rules that would keep us at war with each other and embrace what God has always said to me: Love God and love others. If I do that, I think I will find my perfect path.
The other part of this quote really hit me because I suspect that many of us have, at times, set our standard by the standard of others rather than running our own race at our own pace. It’s easy to say, Well, at least I’m not as bad as her or him, or At least I don’t do that. Those are dangerous thoughts that can keep us on a path that wasn’t meant for us. I think in each of us there is this hunger to be exactly who God designed us to be. Any coloring outside of those lines doesn’t paint the picture that was intended for us.
I am working daily to ask God, What are my gifts that You want me to use in pursuit of my greatness and the greatness of others? What are the things I need to let go of, and what are the things I need to continue?
As the year draws to its conclusion, I want to ponder those thoughts. I want to set my life on my own path and not the path of others. In the end, I’ll be the most content and comfortable when I run my race at my pace. I believe in that way, the spirit of me can keep up with me— and the spirit of me is the best of me and the best of you.
I pray that your week is lovely, and if you want to hear more on these topics, please join me on my podcast, My Happy Ass Life, wherever you enjoy your podcasts. You’ll find a girl who is working toward her best self, without comparison—just with lots of compassion and love for herself and others. I hope you’ll join me!
Loving you deeply,
Karen Key Smith
aka “Happy Ass”
