I’m watching Gossip Girl right now.  I love watching this show for some strange reason.  Its about super skinny, amazingly beautiful, filthy rich teenagers that have everything they could ever want and more.  Yeaaaah, cause I can relate to that.

But here is the thing – its not about comparing my life to theirs.  Sure its silly to compare my life to tv characters.  But there are people in real life that I can just as easily compare myself to.  Actresses, models, cheerleaders, professional athletes, women with bodies that are what many would call perfect and lives that most of us envy.  I could go to bed every night wishing that I was as cool, as beautiful, as lucky as they are or I can spend my time being the best that I can be.

I LOVE the new gatorade campaign with the “Kevins.”

One (the famous basketball player) says:

I’ve never been handed a pink slip.
I’ve never been afraid to tell my wife we might not make the mortgage.
I’ve never used a backstroke as a coping mechanism.
I’ve never searched for answers wearing swim trunks and goggles.
But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

One (the recreational swimmer) says:

I’ve never been called “The Big Ticket.”
I’ve never been so poor that I had to fill the holes in my sneakers with cardboard.
I’ve never had to raise my little sister while I was trying to raise my game.
I’ve never helped add another banner to the rafters.
But I have tried as hard as I can to be the best that I can.

Its about being the best you can be, not about comparing yourself to someone else that you think has a better situation in life.

Negative comparison is the beginning of all evil in my opinion.  It makes us feel inadequate and leaves room for dissatisfaction with life that we otherwise wouldn’t feel.  We are all different, all unique, yet for some reason we want to all be the same.  We want to be one ideal “perfect” type that we see in movies and  magazines.  We have idealized youth, beauty, and thinness so much that as women it is almost impossible not to compare ourselves to other women regarding these factors.

But I try.  I try not to think about myself in regards to how I compare with other people.  I do a very good job with it because it is a lesson I learned a long time ago.  If I had not learned how to live my own life and not compare myself with my gorgeous athletic best friend I would be a miserable girl.  Instead I try as hard as I can to be the best that I can.