Why comparison is a waste of your time

You've just woken up. A LinkedIn notification pops up—your college friend just started a senior position at his company. You check Instagram—you see your colleague's vacation pictures. Jealousy and envy kick in, your mood goes off. Sounds familiar?

While comparison can inspire and motivate, it can also send you in a spiral of self-doubt.

Here are 3 reasons why you should stop comparing yourself to others:

1. You devalue yourself. Research suggests that comparison results in low self-confidence, envy, and depression. Why put yourself in a place where you think less of yourself?
2. It's not a fair comparison. The truth is that social media is a curated, edited version of reality. You can't compare your lows with other people's highs. As said by Steve Furtick, "The reason we struggle with insecurity is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else's highlight reel."
3. You could be investing your energy elsewhere. Thinking about how someone else's life is better than yours is a waste of your time. Instead, you could direct your energy towards your own values and goals!

Of course, this is easier said than done. So take a look at 5 actionable steps to stop comparing yourself to others.