10. Don't let the curse of comparison or envy rob YOU of happiness.

"The School of Inspiration" POD with Zac J!

"Don't let the curse of comparison or envy rob YOU of happiness."
Something most of us grew up around, it began with "keeping up with the Jones.'" If they got a new car, your family was under pressure to get a new car. If they went on a family holiday, where the hell was your suitcase and bottle of sun cream?
And now, decades on, so many of us are frantically running on not one but several new treadmills: keeping up with the Kardashians, Influencers and 4 billion other 'perfect people' with perfect existences on Social Media who of course have no problems and every day for them is one big champagne-fuelled beach party.
Of course deep down inside, we know this is a false economy which only leads to us feeling 'less than,' particularly for younger people who are still learning about themselves.
I myself was guilty of this for the first 40 years of my life, constantly feeling inadequate and in constant need of the public validation. Trouble was, every time I gained the said 'validation' from one person or group, my mind would immediately shift from the 'approvers' to the 'non-approvers.' Why were they not impressed by my shiny new toy or 'status?' It was relentless. It was exhausting.
It was only with the passage of time and meeting so many people with far less than me but being content with their lot that I began to question my approach to life. Was I on a path that was destroying my own happiness? The answer was clearly yes.
It took me many years of introspective work to 'slow down the oil tanker and turn it around.' The COVID lockdown accelerated this process as it forced me to face myself alone daily and have the conversations that I would otherwise have conveniently 'kicked down the road' for another time.
I listened to my heart. I apologised to my soul. I surrendered to the Universe and told her I trust her. Sorry I'm late to the party.
It was a tough, humbling, almost nauseous dressing down for someone who's ego had been in charge up to then.
But now I live for me. On my terms. In alignment. The only person I compare myself to is the man I was yesterday. The only performance appraisal I have to complete is with my own internal HR department. It is performed by my heart and my brain. (I can just see them sitting there across from me with their little clipboards. 🤣)
Some of you reading this will think I am talking c**p or that I have taken leave of my senses. Which, of course, is absolutely fine. It took me a long time to get it and everyone has their own journey.
All I would say to you is take a good look at how crazy the world around us has gone and how the external 'temperature' continues to rise as we limp from crisis to crisis. If you could reset your life, if you could redesign it, what would you do? What would it look like? Would you outsource your wellbeing to Influencers or CNN?
But if you do 'get it' then allow yourself the gift of freedom by stopping the comparison or envy of others and seek only to look into your own rear-view mirror and decide how better to make your life today. Even if it's one-degree at time.
I will be unveiling my "Spring/Summer 2023 Collection" learning programme over the coming weeks which will include online courses, webinars and in-person events. I can't wait to share all I have learned with you and see it impact your life in amazing ways.
You can register for early-bird discounts here: https://linktr.ee/theschoolofinspiration
Thanks for listening and chat soon, you beautiful people. 😍

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