Social Media
Social media. You either love it, or you hate it. I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I need social media for the work I do. Without social media, I wouldn’t be able to promote the books I write, both my Christian books and my fantasy books. So I love it for that.
The hate part of my relationship is the comparison that comes with it. I see everybody else’s books and how well they are doing, or how many reviews they have. Or I see the wins other people have that I don’t have, and so on…You know how it goes.
Comparison, the Enemy of Contentment
Comparison is the enemy of contentment. In real time, I can be looking at one of my books on Amazon and be pleased because it picked up a few more reviews. I literally scroll down one more book and see a sponsored book that has way more reviews, and I lose any contentment I had with my new reviews.
I don’t know how contentment works for you, but it’s like a slippery eel for me. I grasp hold of it one minute, and then it slips away from me in the next.
Gratitude
One of the best ways I have found to help keep myself on track with comparison is to simply choose to be thankful. Thankfulness is the antidote to comparison. I have found that you can’t be thankful and comparing at the same time. As soon as we start comparing ourselves, we are no longer thankful.
The best way to stay content is to choose to be thankful, always.
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
The way this works best for me is to start my morning by writing down what I’m grateful for in my Faithfully Stepping Journal. This daily habit helps me to stay grateful each and every day. It helps me keep the comparison trap from taking over for the day.
The next time you’re struggling with comparison, choose something to be thankful for instead!
More Encouragement
For more encouragement, check out The Comparison Trap devotional by Sandra Stanley or read my post, Finding Freedom from Comparing Ourselves.