Self-Conparison – Not For Me Thanks!

If you have self-esteem issues like me, then you are inclined to compare yourself and measure yourself against others. Are you blind, and struggle with mobility? Are you a woman and can’t be miss perfect?

Doing this has put me into a world of pain. “If others can, so can I,” I kept telling myself. But my mind is changed, and this is what happened.

Yes, I am this blindy that battles with mobility. I can’t catch a bus, because I’m too afraid. I was a victim of crime, and waiting for the bus makes me feel vulnerable; I’m also afraid of getting lost. “Snap out of this,” I told myself; “because other blindies do it successfully all the time.”

When I went for my third guide dog, Asta, I made it known to the trainers that I need to learn to catch a bus. The poor man used to get up at horrible hours in the morning to try and train me. Asta can, but I can’t.

I’ve got a good enough reason now, better than fear – hearing loss. So I don’t need to rationalize so much and beat myself up anyway. I can’t hear the robots.

To get back to my point: This experience has taught me a valuable lesson. It’s OK not to be good at what others excel in. I am good at things others would envy me for.

I choose to measure myself against my own yardstick. I choose to accept myself for who I am, not for who someone else is. I say no to self-comparison.

So I’m not your perfect role-model. I’m my own model. I don’t want to be someone else – just … me.