Guest Writer: Wemi Opakunle
When I was seven years old, I remember my Grandmother telling me a story about a man in a shiny red car. This man, she said, was the envy of everyone in the neighborhood as he drove down the street without a care in the world. One neighbor in particular thought out loud “what I wouldn’t give to have a car and a life like that”. 2 blocks down, the man in the car swerved into a tree and died on the spot. The point, my grandmother bluntly said was never to covet another’s life or possessions.
With social media being at the height of its popularity at the moment, it has become increasingly difficult not to compare your life with others. Someone just got married and you’re still single; someone just had their third baby and you can’t seem to muster up one successful pregnancy; someone just bought another car and you’re still driving your beat up truck.
I once read a quote that said “I hope your life is one day as awesome as you pretend it is on Facebook”. Hilarious but true. What you may not see is that behind the perfect picture of that woman you admire, her family is in shambles. Her husband doesn’t even sleep in the same room. That childhood friend who just bought a new car is actually leasing it. And that friend who just had another baby is lying awake at night thinking about how she’ll be able to take care of her family financially.
No one’s life is perfect so there really isn’t any need to compete with someone else’s imperfect life. Be content with where you are because you are there for a reason and stop living your life based on other people’s expectations or timetables. Take inspired action everyday and create your own definition of success. Be hopeful and thankful. Be happy for others when something good comes into their lives and never, ever, covet another person’s life situation because only they know the real story and trust me, it’s hardly ever as glamorous as you think.