Karen Hoyt is a blogger who has a story about hepatitis C, cirrhosis, end-stage liver disease, liver cancer, and liver transplantation. This excerpt first appeared on Karen’s I Help C blog.

Dearest Friends, if I could give you one present for Christmas, it would be the ability to stop comparing yourself to others. First, you will have to receive this gift in order for it to be useful. If no one unwrapped the gifts I have under the tree, it would be poor use of my time, money, love, and effort. The same is true of you. If you live your life comparing yourself to others, it would be such a waste.

You might think that you don’t fall into the comparison trap. If you stop and listen to your thought life, it could be very revealing. Take a look at your daily activities, thought life, or the things you purchase. Ask yourself if you are truly getting your needs met, or are looking to fill an emptiness inside in order to “measure up” to someone else. If you’re going to stop comparing yourself to others, here are a few tips to get started today!

Unwrap Some Truth

Be in the Moment. One thing that helps me is meditation or prayer. When I relax my muscles, and notice my breath, I can really hear my busy thought life. Since having Hep C, cancer, and the transplant, I’ve learned to joyfully and peacefully be in this present moment. It takes a lot of practice, but when I hear any comparison coming on, I nip it in the bud. Just this morning, during my meditation, thoughts of past Christmas seasons where I baked pies, rolls, and cookies panged my heart. Well, the Liver Loving Diet saved my life, and I’m not about to go back to my old ways of eating. I can’t compare to life back then. 

Mantra: I move into my joyful future with health and healing.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Focus on Your Gifts. When you see what others have, or what they are doing, you may get “less than” thoughts. If you think of all the ways you bring goodness into the world, the negative thoughts will fade. You may have to repeatedly speak a positive phrase to yourself. By replacing the old thoughts, victimization and jealousy move away. I see people running, or enjoying a full time career and feel like those things were stolen from me by illness. It can make me feel sad and depressed. In fact, I felt that way this morning. I went for a short walk and fed the crows up and down my lane. It helped me see that I’m am connected to all life on the planet.

Mantra: I am perfect, just being me.

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