Theodor Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Which is true. It’s very true in fact. I don’t think I realized that fully until I started my fitness journey to pursue the fire department. There is a significant amount of very fit people on this job. People I stive to be like but do not compare myself too. There’s a difference.
One of the things I love about the fire department, is that no matter who you are or what you look like, everyone has a job. Stocky, bulky, short, lean, skinny, and everywhere in between. We get the job done. If you lift more, you’re helping with overhaul. If you’re skinnier or smaller, you’re most likely getting through the harder to reach places like windows or attic doors.
For me, fitness and body comparison were a huge deal. My entire life, I had been what people like to call skinny fat. No real definition to my frame. I ate terribly but was fortunate enough to have a great metabolism and good genes (Both parents are skinny). Plus, I was an active teenager.
As a kid, I had always wanted abs. It was something that I figured would make me more attractive to the opposite sex and would make me feel great about myself. Which is true to an extent, depending on your form of happiness. Do abs bring happiness? Maybe. Maybe it’s just being comfortable in your own skin. Fitness usually helps with that. The more consistent you are with good habits, the better your body looks. The stronger you become and the better you feel. Right?
Until you start to notice people who (you think) look better than you. Maybe someone can lift more than you but has virtually the same build. You start to become envious. You start to wonder things like, “What am I doing wrong?” “Why don’t I look like that person?” Comparison is focusing on what your lacking, instead of what you have. It takes aways from what you truly bring to the table. Focusing on your own personal growth is truly the key to that vision of happiness we all strive for.
After being hired, I found myself constantly trying to keep up with someone or lift as much as someone else. I was lost in a world of internet trends and workout routines, that always seemed to be “better” than the next one. I needed to be like everyone other than myself. An identity crisis, if you will. It took injuring my lower back and being forced to slow down to realize what I was doing. I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do. Which was be able to fully perform at my job and maybe look good naked in the process. Is it vain? Yeah sure, but you can’t tell me it doesn’t feel good to look in the mirror and appreciate what is looking back at you.
Do not compare. You are the only you. Are there going to be A LOT of people just like you? Sure. Of course there is. There is seven billion people on this planet. There are bound to be a hand full of “Jonathan’s” out there. But you are the only you. Find out what makes you an asset to the team or what you bring to the table. Your worth is not defined by being able to lift more than your best friends or that fitness influencer you follow on Instagram. Be the absolute best version of you, that you can be. Not the best version of someone else.
-Joff
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Comparison is the thief of joy
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Theodor Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Which is true. It’s very true in fact. I don’t think I realized that fully until I started my fitness journey to pursue the fire department. There is a significant amount of very fit people on this job. People I stive to be like but do not compare myself too. There’s a difference.
One of the things I love about the fire department, is that no matter who you are or what you look like, everyone has a job. Stocky, bulky, short, lean, skinny, and everywhere in between. We get the job done. If you lift more, you’re helping with overhaul. If you’re skinnier or smaller, you’re most likely getting through the harder to reach places like windows or attic doors.
For me, fitness and body comparison were a huge deal. My entire life, I had been what people like to call skinny fat. No real definition to my frame. I ate terribly but was fortunate enough to have a great metabolism and good genes (Both parents are skinny). Plus, I was an active teenager.
As a kid, I had always wanted abs. It was something that I figured would make me more attractive to the opposite sex and would make me feel great about myself. Which is true to an extent, depending on your form of happiness. Do abs bring happiness? Maybe. Maybe it’s just being comfortable in your own skin. Fitness usually helps with that. The more consistent you are with good habits, the better your body looks. The stronger you become and the better you feel. Right?
Until you start to notice people who (you think) look better than you. Maybe someone can lift more than you but has virtually the same build. You start to become envious. You start to wonder things like, “What am I doing wrong?” “Why don’t I look like that person?” Comparison is focusing on what your lacking, instead of what you have. It takes aways from what you truly bring to the table. Focusing on your own personal growth is truly the key to that vision of happiness we all strive for.
After being hired, I found myself constantly trying to keep up with someone or lift as much as someone else. I was lost in a world of internet trends and workout routines, that always seemed to be “better” than the next one. I needed to be like everyone other than myself. An identity crisis, if you will. It took injuring my lower back and being forced to slow down to realize what I was doing. I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do. Which was be able to fully perform at my job and maybe look good naked in the process. Is it vain? Yeah sure, but you can’t tell me it doesn’t feel good to look in the mirror and appreciate what is looking back at you.
Do not compare. You are the only you. Are there going to be A LOT of people just like you? Sure. Of course there is. There is seven billion people on this planet. There are bound to be a hand full of “Jonathan’s” out there. But you are the only you. Find out what makes you an asset to the team or what you bring to the table. Your worth is not defined by being able to lift more than your best friends or that fitness influencer you follow on Instagram. Be the absolute best version of you, that you can be. Not the best version of someone else.
-Joff