Comparison is the thief of joy…
That can be a weird way to start considering the Open kicks off tomorrow.
I think its actually quite appropriate to frame it that way.
I’m reading a book about John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success.
Not only does John Wooden just look like the greatest grandparent of all time, but he is also one of the greatest teachers of our time as well.
His players and coaches speak about him with such admiration that it almost doesn’t seem real.
When we can teach others about themselves, I’m not sure there is a greater gift.
In his book, he talks about success compares it to climbing a series of ladders.
But the important note was, we all have our own ladders to climb.
And the fastest way to find ourselves in stagnation and have not moved towards the next rung is to get caught up looking at other people’s ladders.
Comparison is the thief of joy because it moves our attention off of our unique skills, talents, and desires.
Some of the worst times in my life are filled with comparison, feelings of inadequacy, and jealousy.
I still have those feelings, but now I recognize them as me trying to climb someone else’s ladder.
I’ve found myself looking at other ladders in just the last two weeks.
Then I refocused and start climbing, one hand at a time, one foot, one rung.
It’s hard to have self-pity when working hard and chasing your own success.
So this year in the open, at work, in our relationships, and in our fitness let’s all focus on our own ladder.
It will probably be pretty surprising when we stop to look around and find out how high we’ve climbed.
So cheers to you for putting in the work and cheers to a great climb.
