Whether there is a pandemic plaguing the world or not, it’s all too easy to get caught up in a game of comparison. And nothing breeds comparison more than times of hardship and stress.
How many times have you seen a picture on social media and thought, “If only I had…” or felt inadequate because you didn’t appear to be doing as much or as well as someone else?
It’s natural when things are hard to fall back on the old adage that “the grass is always greener,” but what if I told you that you need to stop admiring everyone else’s lawn and water your own?
If you feel like you’re struggling to see your life as more than a dry and brown dust pit compared to the green and lush lives of others, remember these three things:
- Show gratitude.
The happiest people in the world don’t have everything. Instead, they are the happiest about what they have.
It’s okay if your lawn has one tree and your neighbor’s has six. Show your appreciation and gratitude for your one tree by doing whatever you can to make it flourish as beautifully as possible, and take pride in its growth.
Survey what’s already growing in your life right now and work to provide it as much nourishment as possible. Take care to make what you have the best that it can possibly be. There is a lot to be said for quality over quantity.
Additionally, start a daily gratitude practice. It can be as formal as a journal, or it can be as informal as consciously being thankful for things in your life as you go about your day. Having an attitude of gratitude helps you shift your focus towards the positive things in your life, and when you do so, you will likely find that your life is much more green than you thought.
- Plant seeds for what you need.
My in-laws live in a retirement community down in South Carolina and when my brother in law visited for the first time, he started singing, “little boxes, little boxes…” because every house and lawn looked the same. There was no variety, and it was boring.
It’s okay if your life doesn’t look like everyone else’s, just like it’s okay if your lawn doesn’t look like your neighbors. So what if they planted roses and lilies along their driveway? Maybe you’re allergic to them, so it doesn’t make any sense for you to plant them along yours! The point is, plant seeds for what you need. Save and make decisions in your life to obtain the things and goals that are important to you and no one else. Why waste time growing a life that looks like someone else’s if all it does is make you sneeze?
- Share what you grow.
There is nothing better than brightening someone’s day with fresh-cut flowers from your lawn, especially when it’s with flowers they might not have been able to grow on their own. In addition to making them smile, the act of sharing makes you feel good, too. It elevates the value of all hard work you put in to grow the flowers in the first place.
Whatever you grow in your life, share it with others. There is no better way to see the beauty in what you have than by seeing the happiness it can bring to someone else. Let that joy be a motivator to continue appreciating and nourishing what you have.
No two lawns should ever look the same. It’s their diversity and uniqueness that brings character and beauty to the neighborhoods they adorn. So appreciate, water, and share the life you have because that is what makes the world a beautiful place to live.
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