You Are Enough, Stop Comparing Yourself To Others!

You Are Enough, Stop Comparing Yourself To Others!

As humans it can be easy to get into the destructive habit of comparing ourselves to others. Our looks, our intelligence, and even the houses we live in and vehicles we drive. Granted some amount of healthy competition is great, but comparing yourself to others can be overwhelming and unhealthy.

You are enough, stop comparing yourself to others! There is noone who compares to you! Why not strive to be the best you that you can be instead of comparing yourself to others? Wouldn't it drive you in a positive direction versus a negative one? I learned this lesson, like many others the hard way!

I learned this lesson as a mom. I found myself, after years of comparing myself to others as a teen and young adult feeling insufficient as a new mom. Now, I didn't have a terrible habit or obsession of comparing myself to others before having kids, but I did compare at times and that led me to more comparison after I gave birth. I compared my parenting to other people's parenting and I put unrealistic expectations on myself. My comparisons led to judgement. I was judging myself and sadly I was judging others. Without even realizing it I was being judgmental, I had become that person.

Noone is born with all the knowledge of the world, noone will ever know it all. Babies aren't born with an instruction manual because they are as unique as you and I. Noone can tell you without a doubt what is best for your baby, noone! Only you can decide what is best for your baby, your children, and your family! Some days that looks like whatever your idea of a perfect mom looks like and other days it looks like dry cereal, not leaving your p.j.'s till 3 p.m., Legos everywhere, a mountain of laundry, and ordering pizza for dinner. A good mom is well polished, her hair, nails, and appearance kept up! A good mom puts her kids needs first and never gets to the salon. She's heard about a pedicure, but hasn't experienced one for herself. A good mom breastfeeds and a good mom supplements! A good mom has motherly instincts and a good mom has to learn this behavior! A good mom does what needs to be done to raise her kid single, and a good mom knows it's best for another couple to adopt her baby! A good mom gets donor milk! A good mom knows she wants to give formula from the start! A good mom takes medicine that isn't safe for breastfeeding, but it helps with her with P.T.S.D. and depression so she can be the best she can be for her family as a whole! Good parents co-sleep and good parents do not! Good parents stay home with their kids and they go back to work at 6 weeks postpartum to provide! Good parents argue and good parents make up! Good parents live under the same roof and good parents live in separate homes. Good parents get married before having kids, and good parents choose to never get married! Good parents vaccinate, and good parents choose not to vaccinate! Good parents choose circumcision and good parents leave their babies intact! Good parents babywear and good parents use strollers. A good parent does the best they can and when they know better they do better! That is all we can do! YOU were given this opportunity to parent your child!

YOU are enough! Some days you are swimming upstream, other days you are on auto pilot! I share this lesson with you because the sooner you stop living for other people's expectations, the sooner you realize that you are enough, the sooner you can truly start enjoying the journey that was meant for you! I challenge you today to toss out your expectations and live for today! This doesn't mean you don't set goals and work towards them, it just means that you will make the best of it, allow yourself grace, you are a human, we all fall short of our own expectations! If you are pregnant don't expect that you should feel a certain way today! Embrace the way you feel today. If you have a newborn in your arms, you feel weary, and your toddler is running around like a wild animal, if noone gets injured and everyone is happy you win today! If you have a fewer little kids and their toys are everywhere and they have dirty clothes stuffed under their beds, if they are playing and not killing each other, today is a win! If you are parenting teenagers and they did just enough to pass to be promoted to the next grade level, celebrate! If they mowed the grass without being asked, but broke the pull start rope on the mower, celebrate that win! If your teenager babysits your toddler so you can get your errands done alone and he makes snow cones and plays video games with your toddler who is now bouncing off the walls from a sugar high and your dish towel is stained with red dye, celebrate that your teen gave you a break and spent some quality time with your toddler!

Celebrate those wins! The big wins, the small wins, any personal win! You will be a lot happier when you realize that you can only control so much in life. Change what you can, except what you can't, move forward enjoying your wins! You are enough, stop comparing yourself to others! #youareenough #iamenough #weareenough