Let no man any longer hear you finding fault with the court life or with your own- Marcus Aurelius
So many times I have compared myself to others. Whether it be the way they dress or their appearance.
I have had an interest in fitness for some years now. Like many fitness journeys, mine started because I was fat. (Side Note: don’t call anyone that). I didn’t want to grow to be bigger and be out of shape.
Exercising was a way to prevent it from further progressing. I started running in the afternoon to shed the weight, decreased my macros and it worked.
As time went by, weightlifting sparked an interest in me. I surely didn’t want to be skinny and weightlifting was a way of preventing that from happening.
I realize I was getting skinny. I was doing a crash diet where I ate as little food as possible.
Just imagine a skinny dude with a big head- that is not a good picture.
I started watching YouTube videos of guys with great bodies, to learn more about weightlifting. It motivated me for a while. But along the way, I started to envy them.
I would say to myself, “I have been training so hard to get to that point at the same time they did but I am not. It’s not fair that they are making those gains and I’m not.”
Well newsflash, I am not fair- Life
One of my most memorable comparisons was with a guy named Mike Diamonds. The guy has made great body transformations over and over again. He loves his fitness lifestyle so much that he crushes it all the time in nutrition and training.
But guess what, he’s been doing this for over 7 years now. I have been at this for about 3 years.
I saw another guy who is a bodybuilder making amazing videos talking about fitness from a scientific point of view. Yes, he has an amazing physic and he is a powerhouse.
I admire him because I don’t see a lot of 5′ 5″ bodybuilders on the internet.
Turns out he has been in the bodybuilding industry for 10 years.
10 long years of trials and tribulations. Of fails and wins. Of injuries. Of a ton amount of research.
I realized comparing myself with other people does more harm than good. It takes away the great pleasure to experience life to the fullest.
A life of comparison opens one up for unnecessary emotional burden.
I don’t want to live and not live. I don’t want to walk through life wearing a blindfold and allowing my direction to be dictated by someone I admire.
Life is beautiful when you get comparison out of your mind and start enjoying the failures and wins you encounter.
I am not where I am with fitness but the journey is far from over. Time, patience and hard work will help me reach my goals.
Thank you for reading. I appreciate the love and support.
Originally published at medium.com