For Everyone Who Compares Their Everyday To Someone’s Best

This is for everyone who feels stuck.

Who feels like they’re capable of more.

Who knows that they can be (should be) in charge.

Who thinks they are only being used at only 40% of their Umph.

Who wants to be There. Who should be There. Who questions why they aren’t There.

Yet.

This is for everyone who feels a twinge of jealously (yes, that’s the name) when they hear of friends, colleagues, old classmates moving on and Moving Ahead.

For everyone who compares their Everyday to other people’s Best.

Everyone who knows what they want in theory, but can’t seem to put it into words.

Who is confused…But still puts pressure on themselves.

This is for Everyone. Because, We are all that person.

We all keep ourselves up at night because we don’t have our dream job or dream position or live in our dream city or have our dream relationship. We need to have it all, at all times, because Perfect is the only word we can use to describe each and every moment.

It needs to be worthy enough to show the world.

We are bombarded with the Perfect moments of our peers. Of our colleagues. Of our friends from 15 years ago who have now decided to move to London and accept a job with a Super Awesome Start up that pays them just as much as their job in Investment Banking — oh yeah, and they’re moving in with their British boyfriend. I forgot.

We only see those moments.

We only see and compare and feel the hurt because We don’t feel like we measure up to That.

That was me. That still is me.

Because, being in your 20s takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. You think that you have It figured out one day. You think that you know what you’re doing. You have your hands on the steering wheel.

And then, out of nowhere — the rug is pulled out from under you.

You are behind. You will always be Alone. Living with a cat. In the same job.

Forever.

No one can say what caused it; maybe you got put on a really shitty assignment. Maybe you didn’t get invited to a happy hour (who sends invites to happy hours anyway?). Maybe you saw someone else’s life take a turn for the better on the ‘gram.

You know, it’s like we’re back in middle school.

Except this time, trying to keep up with Ourselves, instead of our so-called “friends.” So, what do I have to say when that rug gets pulled away?

Well, I tell myself:

Take a step back. Remember who You are. Remember where you are. Remember how you got here.

You are So Much More than you thought you would be by 20-something. Look around — look at your life. Did you ever think that you would be living in New York in your Very Own Apartment, with a boy, in a job that you don’t think is that bad, traveling the world…

Remember that. Be grateful. You have so much more than many others never will.

That is a very easy thing to forget.

But, I also tell myself: Remember to stay grounded. You have also done less (way less) than 10-year-old You thought that you would.

Because: Are you married? Are you CEO? Are you famous? No. No, and definitely — no.

Ten-year-old-me had pretty high expectations for myself. Twenty-four year old me still has high expectations for myself.

But sometimes, you need put yourself in 10-year-old You’s shoes. Because, at ten, your Adult self was your biggest hero.

And, the best part? You always believed in You.

So, believe in You. You are not (never) moving too slowly. You can always be doing more, seeing more, experiencing more.

But hey, that’s life. And, if you didn’t expect yourself to keep pushing ahead, you wouldn’t be where you are today.

Time can be manipulated based on how you spend it. So, choose wisely, and always choose You.

We’re all in this together.