6. Personalization
I used to do the first part of this one often...but honestly I've improved greatly on that over that last couple of years. Instead of assuming that everything everyone does in my vicinity has to do with me...I choose to assume that people are just as self-absorbed as I am and generally don't give a crap what I'm doing.
The second part, though...ugh. I compare myself to others all...the...time.
Here’s a glimpse inside my mind:
That’s a nice car. You don’t have a car. If you ever get a car…it certainly won’t look like that. Those people have nice clothes and seem to be well off.
How do you like being poor? She’s pretty. I’m ugly. Those people have nice skin.
I have oily skin with huge pores. Wow, that person is fatter than me. Woo hoo! Yes! Someone is fatter than me! (maybe that example isn’t quite as bad…
)
Look at all of these couples. I am alone. I’ve always been alone. Why am I such a loser?
I’m pretty stuck on this one. I’m not 100% there…but I remind myself that it does me absolutely no good to compare myself with others. That’s not where my focus needs to be. I need to keep the focus on myself…my needs and goals.
Life does not have to be a race or contest.