{"id":28673,"date":"2026-11-04T09:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/?p=28673"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:58:32","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T20:58:32","slug":"mindset-matters-why-comparison-hurts-us-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2026\/11\/04\/mindset-matters-why-comparison-hurts-us-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Mindset Matters<\/em>: Why comparison hurts us (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cComparison is the thief of joy.\u201d We\u2019ve probably all heard this quote at some point, regardless of whether or not we know to whom it\u2019s attributed. We all understand this on a surface level: if you compare your achievements or failures to other people\u2019s, you\u2019ll likely feel disappointed if you don\u2019t measure up, and that could make you want to quit.<\/p>\n

However, it goes much deeper and can be even more damaging than people realize.<\/p>\n

This quote is misattributed to a few famous people in history; however, its origins lack substantial evidence supporting its authenticity to any of them. The earliest verified match for this statement (or close to it) that I could find is attributed to author and Jesuit priest John Powell, who wrote in his 1989 book Happiness Is an Inside Job<\/i> that \u201ccomparison is the death of true self-contentment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Mindset Matters<\/em> is a column appearing in every issue of Nexus<\/em> (photo by Feya Rose).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This likely got deeper over time than he realized.<\/p>\n

Powell lived in a period where social media, as we know it in the modern day, was likely not even a consideration for how quickly and easily people could stay connected in real time. The way we now have access to seeing these perfectly curated snippets of people\u2019s lives\u2014especially of their successes\u2014has created a space where we put our best selves forward. And only our best selves.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a rarity like me, you might overshare about your life in conversations and in your social-media presence. This is because I try to adhere to the same lifestyle that I teach: one that is built on a foundation of honest communication, genuine connection, and being fully transparent with everyone around me.<\/p>\n

However, if you are like 99 percent of the world\u2019s population, you probably carefully curate what you do or don\u2019t say in public spaces. This could be for many reasons\u2014for example, safety, comfort, censorship. These are all completely valid; your space, your rules.<\/p>\n

However, when we are constantly being bombarded with these snippets of everyone\u2019s perfect lives, suddenly, perfection looks like the norm, and anything less than that just feels like a personal failure. Because it\u2019s not just celebrities or famous people we\u2019re looking up to now; it\u2019s every average person with a social-media account who appears to have the lifestyle we wish for. Which is entirely where the problem stems from.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know what went on behind the edited photos or the AI-enhanced captions (many influencers are now using AI to \u201coptimize\u201d their posts, so we\u2019re losing even more honesty from the voices we see online). That makes it so crucially important to remember that there\u2019s always something else going on behind the scenes: the complications or hurdles not shown, the injuries or illnesses and setbacks not shared, the self-doubt or retries not mentioned. Those were all an important part of the process, too\u2014the most important part, I\u2019d argue. Because without those missteps to learn from, we can\u2019t see what works or not for our own process. Without learning, we can\u2019t grow; without growing, we can\u2019t reach our goals; and without reaching our goals, we can\u2019t succeed.<\/p>\n

Comparing ourselves to another, without keeping in mind that they may have a unique process or different circumstances in life, robs us of the opportunity to learn and grow on our own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cComparison is the thief of joy.\u201d We\u2019ve probably all heard this quote at some point, regardless of whether or not we know to whom it\u2019s attributed. We all understand this on a surface level: if you compare your achievements or failures to other people\u2019s, you\u2019ll likely feel disappointed if you don\u2019t measure up, and that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[363,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-november-4-2026","category-columns"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t