Comparison vs joy

Comparison is the thief of joy. – Theodore Roosevelt

I came across this quote some time ago I knew I wanted to blog the subject but I never had a strong reason to until now.

About 3 years ago my husband and I decided we were going to “live like nobody else so we could live like nobody else,” Dave Ramsey, we never looked back. We love who we are as a family and where we are. If you are unfamiliar with the meaning behind the Ramsey quote he is talking about living financially responsible no matter what it takes so that later in your life you can live however you want responsibly.

We never cared when we had less, or that we were eating beans and rice weekly. We could see the greater outcome the purpose. Comparison wasn’t an issue and it still isn’t in that part of our life we still scrimp and save. Heck, we’ve got three kids to send to college.

With all that being said… in my personal life things are a bit different. Since moving on post earlier this year and are now living in close proximity to so many people comparison has begun to appear. I find myself thinking about other moms and kids, how they raise their children, how clean their homes are, how smart the kids are stuff that shouldn’t matter to me. These are the little things that I kept finding myself thinking about throughout the day.

I didn’t think it was really that big of a deal until we were having dinner with some friends. I was showing my friend, a new mom, all the new and fun things we were doing and that the kids were doing. I could see it in her eyes. She was overwhelmed in daily life trying to balance her new role and I was showing her all the great things I could do with three kids.

Comparison is the thief of joy, such a true and eye-opening statement. We are who and where we are for a reason. Who cares what Jane Smith down the street is doing. To my friend- you are an amazing mom. You are doing a great job. Being a mom is the hardest job you will ever do, it’s worth it though. You will get better and things get easier.