Last weekend I went away to Port Broughton for some photo time, some me time, and to generally clear my head. I spent a lot of time taking photos, journalling, praying, and walking the jetty. I got to meet some of the locals in the coffee shop (thanks Baker Bear's you make amazing coffee at killer prices!). I loved every minute of my trip. In one of my early morning jetty hang outs, coffee in hand, I started thinking about comparison. It isn't the first time I have written about it, but I feel so strongly about how damaging it is.

I was discussing this recently with my lead pastor and she said something really interesting - comparison steals your calling. I have thought about that so many times and realised just how true it is. To walk into what you are called to do, you need to be completely focused on where you are going. You need to be worrying about what you are supposed to be doing, not about how you don't stack up to the person next to you. You will never reach your full potential if you are constantly wishing you could be more, be better, take better photos, speak more clearly, look like that person over there, have that persons life, or be as talented as that person. Comparing yourself to someone else is a distraction that stops you taking the steps you need to take.

I saw a quote recently: 'every minute you spend wishing you had someone else's life is a minute spent wasting yours'. It is so true. Every minute you spend wishing you had someone else's life is a minute that you aren't living yours. It is a moment in time that you can't get back and it is a moment in which you are sending yourself backwards instead of moving forwards.

Everyone that you see on a day to day basis has their stuff. You might not know it, you might not see it . You might see their highlight reel and wish you had their life, but it is just that - a highlight reel. Behind every highlight reel is a struggle, a battle, an insecurity. Things are often not what they seem, and instead of wishing you had their life, concentrate on the good in yours. Work on the things that you need to. If you want to be a better photographer, learn from the best and educate yourself. If you want to be a better writer then take some creative writing classes. Use the time you were spending wishing you had someone else's life to work on the things in your own life that you are passionate about.

Theodore Roosevelt once said, 'comparison is the thief of joy'. How often do you compare yourself to someone else and come up short? I have spent years not moving forward with blogging and photography because every single time I compared my work to someone else's, I came up short. It has finally occurred to me that the only person stopping me was me. The only person I should be comparing myself to is me. How far have I come? Am I growing? Am I developing?

There are so many things that are more productive in life than comparing yourself to others. Enjoy the journey you are on and be thankful for the small things. Make a list if you have to and remember that no-one can be you quite like you can.