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Stop Comparing Yourself to Others!
Health | July 23, 2015
I came across this comic on the internet, not sure who created it so if you find out please share I’ll give credit where credit is due because it’s so cute and I wanted to share it with you guys!
One of the most damaging things we can do to ourselves as women is constantly comparing ourselves to others, especially with how we look. Specifically I mean obsessing over supposed flaws in the mirror, secret selfie stalking on Instagram or Facebook (you know who you are!) or even while shopping – be it a celeb, a friend or a coworker, etc.
I’m always trying to emphasize that fitness and wellbeing begin from the inside out. Why? Because you could be the fittest, prettiest person in the world by any and all objective standards and still not like what you see in the mirror.
Instead of trying to look or be like someone else we should choose to be the best version of ourselves – again, inside and out. That means letting go of the sometimes treacherous standards of beauty that surround us like vultures, waiting to peck at our our self-esteem and sense of worth.
It’s impossible to be your best possible self if you’re constantly comparing yourself to others. I know that it’s easier said than done, we all do this. As women we have to often look past all the false standards of beauty that are always telling us that who we are is not enough. Instead of motivating us to be better these ideas and images do the exact opposite, they remind us that we’re not good enough. It’s not a healthy or happy way to live.
Also, when it comes to our bodies we are all blessed with different shapes and sizes. This is something that younger women sometimes forget in their quests to look like someone else. Some of us are short or lanky, have long legs and short torsos, long torsos and short legs and if you’re like me, you have short T-rex arms! hahah
You have to remember that these are just the shapes we are blessed with and should treat them as such! I’m sure we’ve all purchased an outfit or borrowed something from a friend that looked stunning on them only to have it look like a potato sack or be too small on us when we got home 🙁
When you’re working out with me at the ZGYM, it’s never about abandoning who you are for something new, but about transforming into your best possible self. Remember this always: I’m here to build you up, not break you down. All that being said, when it comes to your progress and times in my workouts, it can sometimes be motivating to COMPETE with someone else (or me) but don’t COMPARE yourself. That’s why I love to do workouts again and beat my personal best. If you’re busy comparing your progress with yourself then it can be easier to stop comparing yourself to everyone else. It can help build confidence and pride in your progress.
Hope this article helped remind you that happiness comes easier when you stop comparing yourself to others. I know we all do it, and it sometimes helps to have a friendly reminder… That being said, how did you guys do in today’s workout? Did you beat your personal best, if it’s your first time doing the workout don’t forget to write down the results so you can compete against your time and track your progress to compare to the next time 🙂
Private Member |
Just finished the workout and arm balance challenge! Did way better with my crow and crane today 🙂
This is such a humbling thing to read 🙂 I struggle with this so often, especially just getting back onto social media.. It’s hard not to compare myself when seeing all these fancy pictures of people’s lifestyle, fitness, etc. Sometimes it’s all about changing perspectives and being happy for those people instead of comparing. Thank you for reminding me that the only competition is between myself and becoming the best version of me!
Private Member |
I have a childhood friend who always posts fancy lifestyle pictures. She has the “perfect” job. Lives in downtown New York. She’s smart and good looking. I always thought she was perfect. One time she came over to visit for 4 days. My boyfriend and I took her for a simple camping trip. That’s not her lifestyle at all. Suddenly she was totally different person and she felt happy. As we talked more and more she opened up to me. She said she hates her job, works crazy long hours, pays too much for the rent, she doesn’t have any real friends, no boyfriend and she almost cried and told me she hates her life so much and would exchange her life for my “simple” life any minute. I found out that I am happier and much more confident person than she is…
So, don’t worry about social media – what people share isn’t always the truth…. Hugs Jane 🙂
Private Member |
Nowadays with social media, we get caught up looking at someone else’s perfect picture life. Especially moms posting pretty pictures of a fancy cooked meal, and neatly dressed babies :). What no one posts are the in betweens, the tantrums, the messy dishes, and probably a whole load more.
Private Member |
switzerland/, france
yes, comparison is all over the place…who is smarter at work, who is more flexible in the yoga class, who gets the more reps in the least time…having kids helps so much, because they don’t care how we are in those matters. They just want us to be THEIR best parents and they don’t care if you have a six-pack abs or have cellulitis or not. I have been training mostly for them, so I get energy to carry them, hold them, run with them all day long. To be flexible enough that I can play on the floor for hours.There is no way that I want to hear the words in my mouth “no I can’t do this with you because I am out of shape”.
Private Member |
Nice article 🙂
The image is from chibird I think. http://chibird.com/post/43612116498/everybody-is-different-and-has-something-awesome
Private Member |
ca, usa
When I was in my 20’s and early 30’s I thought about myself much more and how I “measured” up to others. Motherhood changed all that. Four kids later I don’t have time to fret over it. I am 46 now and wish I could go back and tell that girl at 32 to relax and enjoy the journey. I try my best to set a positive example for my boys by eating clean and exercising daily. The results take care of themselves.
Private Member |
Great post! I love that you wrote your goAl is to build us up! You are awesome, we ALL are awesome and have great potential to be successful in our workouts and daily life. Thanks for the encouragement Zuzka!
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I personally don’t need this, but it’s important to support others. You shouldn’t use the mirror to judge self worth or images of others. Like you have pointed out many times you select the best images of yourself. I think this pretty reasonable, but it gives some people the wrong impression. Nobody is perfect! 😀
Private Member |
Selecting the best images of oneself gives some people the wrong impression? Well, I don’t really agree with that. I mean we all know what Zuzka *really* looks like in her many, many, MANY videos, so how does choosing a well-angled photo give the wrong impression?
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I don’t know how does it? I’m not the person who says she selects her pictures so I have never seen the deselected images to know. You seem to be focusing on an unimportant aspect of what I wrote.
Private Member |
Sir, you wrote: “Like you have pointed out many times you select the best images of yourself. I think this pretty reasonable, but it gives some people the wrong impression.” My question was: How do you think picking good images give people the wrong impression? I’d like to understand your comment.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I really don’t understand how you don’t get it? It was a minor point. Seeing flaws helps keep perspective, but we generally don’t like to show them. Just being aware that no individual is perfect should be enough. Reread Zuzka’s comment and ponder it for a while. My comment agreed with it is what you should be taking away not that there are thousands of images of a prefect Zuzka so were are the few images with flaws. Or how seeing her imperfections might helps anyone.
Private Member |
Thanks for clarifying. What’s with the condescension though? I wasn’t attacking you (even though you seem to think that’s what people here are out to do). Zuzka’s post made perfect sense, it was your comment that didn’t. Next time I won’t bother you.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
I wasn’t expecting your question as it seemed obvious to me what I meant. I wasn’t thinking you were attacking me. This is way sometimes I don’t like this medium. Lately Zuzka has let her “hair down” by showing herself without makeup and the beauty care video. Just two examples of that,. Lots of Fitness Models would never do anything that showed themselves less than perfect.
Private Member |
well that escalated quickly. i think what he meant was not literally choosing images/pictures of herself to show that she looks good at a certain angle. but both mine and yours are just assumptions on what his intention in the comment was. just chill hey… it’s just a comment on the internet over the real things we have to face in life. cheers 🙂
and it’s just us being human that we like to compare ourselves to others. that’s what humans do… who’s fitter, leaner, prettier, made more money, better job… it all comes down to yourself whether or not you let all this get to you at the end of the day. Happiness is a choice – you’re happy, you decide, you’re unhappy, you still decide.
Private Member |
I do compare myself a lot to others even though I know it’s stupid. I am trying to avoid as much as possible but sometimes it’s just hard… but I have to admit that if I’m working out and eating well and take care of myself, I feel better about myself and I’m less likely to compare myself.
Private Member |
I feel the same way! I too compare myself to others way more than I should but when I am working out, eating well and just doing things that make me happy I’m more focused on myself than on others and comparing myself to them. It can be an everyday struggle and their are good and bad days but mostly I just try to take in a deep breath and let it out slowly a few times when I am comparing and that usually helps me to refocus on what’s important and not other people.
Private Member |
Very true article! I’ve just recently been getting better at not comparing to others & im hoping to only get better at it. As a young girl it was much harder with friends & sports to not compare constantly but in my 20’s now, I like to be proud of who I am. It’s much less stressful & everyone is different. Thank you Zuzka! Happy Friday! 🙂
Private Member |
ponte vedra beach, fl
This is something I need to work on too. I have been trying for years….literally like 5 years to build muscle and not be so tiny b/c I hate when people look at me like I have an eating disorder. I actually eat very well and healthy! So I get caught up in comparing when I see someone who has muscle and it makes me so jealous that they clearly know something or have figured out something that I cannot figure out for the love of me! Or possibly they were blessed with better genes and it’s never something they struggled to learn at all. I’m just afraid by the time I figure out what it is I need to do I’ll be too old for it to matter. 😛
Private Member |
I am really glad you addressed this issue. Great article! Am looking Forward to the jumping rope Workout…;)