It was impossible for me to avoid comparing myself to others.

There were times when it came down to money and success.

At some point, even if a person of the same age managed to succeed and was doing better than me, it led to some kind of comparison.

The most frustrating thing?

Well, social media made the situation even worse.

Everyday I would see people posting their accomplishments, expensive trips and pictures from them, new cars, or a story about their success.

After spending just a few minutes, I got the impression that I was lagging behind.

However, then I understood that…

… I compared my life to someone else's achievements!

What do I mean by that?

I didn't see their failures, difficulties, hard work behind those pictures and stories.

Just the best moments of their lives.

This realization has changed a lot in me.

I stopped comparing myself to others.

Instead of thinking "Why am I not at their level?", I began asking myself the question "Am I doing better than I was a few months ago?".

This is a completely different approach.

I have come to understand that there is no single starting position, opportunities and goals in everyone's life.

Why should we assume that our journeys will be the same?

However, admiring successful people and taking inspiration from them is quite alright.

The problem starts the moment when our self-respect begins to depend on another person's success.

From now on, I try to concentrate on personal growth.

I learn something new every day.

I create a good habit.

Perhaps, I commit an error and learn from it.

It is what I call the real personal growth.

Life is not a race when everybody reaches the finish line simultaneously.

It is a personal journey which ends when I reach my goals.

And the one person who I have to compete with is my former self.

In fact, life became easier after I stopped comparing myself to everyone else and started being grateful for my own progress.