We’ve all heard that old saying about comparison: “The grass is always greener on the other side.”

Well there’s a simple solution to that.

If you spent less time looking over at your neighbors green grass, and more time on fertilizing, cultivating, tending to your OWN grass… you’d find your grass to become a more beautiful shade of bright green than you could have ever imagined!

Right now you’re probably shaking your head thinking, “It’s not that easy!”

Comparison is tricky for that reason – in today’s digital age, we are literally FLOODED with images of what’s going on around us. And, thanks to platforms like Instagram, many of those images are beautiful, enhanced representations… that aren’t always 100% truthful, right? But they still make us feel like we don’t measure up.

As someone who works in the acting industry, I personally struggle with comparison almost every day. As an actor or performer, approximately 99.99% of your life is comparison. Auditions are, in essence, a panel of auditors who you may or may not know, comparing you to every other person they see that day. Comparison happens externally, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

But comparison also happens internally. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in an audition or callback room, silently sizing up the people around me… It’s just the nature of the game!

We must realize that comparison leads to self-destruction, self-doubt, and most of all, unhappiness. And like we’ve established that to be confident, you must also be happy. I’ve tried it without it, and it just doesn’t work.

So how the heck do we fight comparison? How can we even start reducing it in our lives?

We can start by appreciating what makes us unique.

You can’t ignore the things that make you different from everyone else – whether it’s your heritage, your looks, your hobbies, or anything else – so you might as well embrace them.

Furthermore embracing what makes you unique is a surefire way to stop comparison in its tracks. When you embrace your differences, you take yourself OUT of the plane of comparison – because the things that make you different, make you incomparable.

The things that make you different, make you incomparable.

Another way is to make the active choice to focus on yourself – your strengths, your successes, your blessings… until you realize that no one else even COMPARES to all the awesomeness that you have going on.

But still that can be tough.

So I want you to try something – today I’m challenging you to take a total social media break. Specifically Facebook and Instagram – if you have those channels, make the choice to NOT check them today.

Start your day with your gratitude list and your affirmations. Set your daily goals. And then don’t let social media distract you from them. Just for 24 hours. You can do it!

And, most importantly, at the end of the day, be mindful of how you feel. Spend 5-10 minutes journaling about the day – what you achieved, things that made you happy, big successes… how do you feel?

Let’s start fighting comparison and embracing our talents together.