Don't Compare Yourself

Today's Blogtember topic: Pass on some useful advice or information you learned and always remembered. I had actually started this post a few weeks ago, and it perfectly fits today's topic!
 
While Doug and I were going through our marriage prep courses with our deacon (who is also my dad's best friend), he gave us a piece of advice.

Don't compare yourself to others.

I know, it seems like a silly little piece of advice, but it's oh so true. And during wedding planning and in our first year of marriage, it has been something that has constantly stayed in the back of my mind on a daily basis. And also something that I struggle with regularly.

While we were planning on wedding, not only were we attending a ton of other weddings, but I was also stalking wedding blogs and Pinterest-ing the shit out of all beautiful wedding things. And then I realized that our wedding would look nothing like all these insanely gorgeous weddings. And I was sad. That dreamy barn with hundreds of twinkle lights and the perfect blend of rustic and chic; yeah it wasn't happening. This all made me sad. 

And then I wrote this post and realized that even if I didn't have those things, it didn't matter. Our wedding was going to be very "us" and I needed to stop comparing myself to what everyone else was doing. 

Gratuitous wedding photo.
My bouquet still makes me swoon.

Now that we're newlyweds and past all the wedding planning craziness, I've often had to think about that small piece of advice.

Friends buying houses left and right while we're stuck in an apartment.

Friends going on fancy beach vacations while we're lucky to have spent a weekend in Toronto.

Shiny new cars while I'm cruising in my '07 Go Cart (it's an Aveo...but pretty much the same thing). 

Fancy restaurants compared to our pasta/rice and whatever meat I happened to find in our freezer. 

Don't compare yourself to others.

While it is hard to not compare myself to others, especially when they are getting and doing all the things you would love to do, it's just not worth it. Time and energy looking at what others have and thinking about what I don't have would be much better spent being happy with what I do have. 

A husband who loves me unconditionally and family who I see on a regular basis who also love me no matter what. We have an apartment, jobs and two steady incomes, cars (even if mine does suck sometimes). I wouldn't trade those things for anything else in the world. Well, I might trade those last few in...but I don't need anything more in life to be happy.