We tend to be quite hard on ourselves for the ways we should have or haven’t shown up. From our early schooling years we have been trained to believe that a successful life is based on performance. By putting ourselves on scales, grading systems & numbered tables, we have been taught to compare ourselves constantly; and it continues long after our young years.

As we are living in the age of technology, there are many outlets for these comparisons;  may it be through various social media platforms, advertisement campaigns or the success stories in our immediate vicinity  (i.e family & friend circles, neighborhoods, schools, work environments, sport teams).

A feature of our ego mind is to retain the negative feedback first and foremost as it pertains to our sense of safety & survival  (i.e what might threaten me needs my dedicated attention). By living in constant comparison, we are paving the way for our ego mind to be in distrust or dissatisfaction about ourselves and potentially others.

We can cultivate a more intentional life by determining our standards of living through an understanding of our automatic mental processes, references to our outside world & relationships. We can also dive in, discover what burns inside of us and desires to be expressed.

As a reminder, we are not in charge of our circumstances, but our reaction to the reality we have access to.

Personal reflection:

• What gifts do I bear?

• What am I proud of?

• What am I withholding?

• What does true success mean to me?