So welcome everyone and thank you for joining me.
So today I want to talk about something that steals joy from a lot of us every single day which we call the comparison trap.
Now you know the feeling you're scrolling maybe through social media and suddenly we see people who seem to have figured it all out.
Living the life,
The perfect job,
The perfect career,
The perfect relationship,
Amazing travels,
Even physical features and in that moment your own life somehow feels less and there is often a sinking feeling in your body,
In your stomach,
In your heart as we unconsciously unconsciously measure our own progress against theirs.
So this is what I've learned in my journey.
So comparison isn't actually about the other person but it's often about us forgetting that we are each on completely different journeys with different starting points,
Different challenges,
Different gifts and often different destinations.
So today's journey,
Today's meditation is about coming home to your own path,
About remembering that your journey is not a race,
It's not a competition but it is a unique unfolding that no one else can walk but you.
So let's begin today to find peace in our own stories.
So you can find a comfortable position,
Whatever feels comfortable for you in this moment and just very gently if your body allows you can close your eyes,
Take a few natural breaths,
Whichever way your body wants to breathe and just notice just with this simple act of breathing your body begins to relax.
Just for the next few minutes you don't need to be anywhere else,
You don't need to be anybody else,
You can simply be here and now exactly as you are,
Exactly where you are on your journey.
Just noticing the breath,
Allowing your body to relax,
Allowing everything to slow down,
Being still.
Now in this space of listening,
Allowing and being receptive,
Let's bring to conscious mind a recent moment,
A recent time in your life,
A recent experience when you found yourself comparing your life to someone else's.
Now maybe that was seeing someone's social media post,
Maybe it was hearing about somebody's promotion,
Maybe it was noticing how someone else seems more confident,
More successful,
More happy or maybe there's something else coming up for you now,
Maybe it's an ongoing thought,
Maybe it's an ongoing belief.
Just let that come to you now,
A thought,
A memory,
An event,
An energy,
A feeling.
Any time in my life where I compare my life to someone else's and then once we identify this,
Notice the story that your mind created.
I should be further along by now,
They have something I don't,
I'm falling behind,
Everyone else has it figured out,
I should be there by now and I'm just giving examples,
Pointing you in that direction,
So you can see that belief for yourself.
Now you may also be feeling the energy of these beliefs in your body,
As a tightness in your chest,
As a feeling in your stomach or something else.
Just notice these thoughts,
Just notice these sensations without judgment,
We all have them.
Let's bring in a new perspective today and see how that feels in the moment,
How that feels in the body and remember we are only exploring this.
So take a step back now from these stories and remember maybe you were just seeing someone else's highlight reel but not their journey,
Not their reality.
Now maybe there are struggles here that you can't see,
Maybe the confidence that you're seeing,
It was built through challenges that you still have to face in your journey.
Maybe this person's story,
This person's life is completely different than mine and that's okay.
Just notice now how these words feel,
How your body responds and am I willing,
Am I open to see.
Now bring awareness to your own invisible journey which are all the parts of your story unique to you that others cannot see.
The struggles that you have overcome that no one knows about,
The growth that you've experienced in these quiet moments,
The courage it's taken to keep going through difficult times.
Just feel the fullness of your actual experience and not just the parts that you show to others or that are visible to others.
You are not behind,
You're not lacking,
You are exactly where you need to be on your unique path.
And we'll drop this belief once again into the body,
You are not behind,
You are not lacking,
You are exactly where you need to be on your unique path.
Now if comparison happens through what we see on the internet,
On social media,
On different platforms where people show parts of their lives,
Remember that these platforms,
It's a curated collection of moments and it possibly is not real life.
People share their wins,
Not their daily struggles.
People may post their best photos and their adventures but not their ordinary moments.
They may celebrate their successes there but not their failures and learning experiences.
So when we are exposed to this,
I may be comparing my full real experience to someone else's edited highlights.
Now it may feel like comparing a rough draft to a published book and then wondering why your writing doesn't look as polished.
So the next time you feel this comparison sting on social media,
You might pause and ask what am I not seeing in this image?
What am I not seeing in this image?
What am I not seeing in this image?
Now imagine that life is like a vast mountain with many,
Many,
Many,
Many,
Many different paths to reach the top,
To finish the race.
Now some people take the smooth,
Well-marked trail and others may have to climb rocks,
Take the challenging route,
Face the winds.
Every single person's journey,
Their path is completely different and some may even have to create new paths that no one else has walked before.
So just because someone is on a different path than yours,
Doesn't mean you're on the wrong path and vice versa.
All paths lead up to the mountain.
None is better or worse.
They may just be different.
Now your path is yours for a reason.
Your soul is here in this moment,
In this body with these set of experiences for a very,
Very,
Very particular reason and it can't be otherwise.
It's teaching you exactly what you need to learn and giving you exactly the experiences that will shape you into who you're meant to be.
Your path is yours for a reason and it's teaching you exactly what you need to learn,
Giving you exactly the experiences that will shape you into who you're meant to become.
Now as you receive these words,
Feel the relief now of not needing to be on anybody else's path.
Your path is perfect for you.
Now from this place of acceptance which you may also be feeling in your body right now,
Let's find some gratitude for your unique journey.
Think of a challenge you've faced that has made you stronger,
A failure that taught you something important or a detour in your life that led you somewhere unexpected but meaningful,
A slow struggle period in your life that allowed you maybe to grow to rest.
Now these experiences are part of your path,
They are not mistakes,
They are not delays and maybe one day you look back and see that they were essential parts of your story.
Now think of the gifts that are uniquely yours,
Your particular way of seeing the world,
Your specific talents,
Your abilities and the things that you feel drawn to,
Your unique combination of experiences and wisdom.
Just feel the pride now in these gifts that are yours and you have the potential to offer them to the world if you fully accept them and see them.
Now the next time you feel or you catch comparison arising in any form,
Just try this practice.
Instead of why don't I have what they have,
Ask what can I learn from their journey.
Instead of I am not good enough,
Practice I am on my perfect path.
Now this transforms comparison from a source of pain into a source of inspiration and learning.
I can celebrate other people's success while still honoring my own journey.
In this universe there is room for everyone to shine.
I can celebrate other people's successes while still honoring my own journey.
In this universe there is room for everyone to shine.
I will say this one more time,
I can celebrate other people's successes while still honoring my own journey.
In this universe there is room for everyone to shine.
Now as we close this practice you place both your hands on your heart and just by placing your hands on your heart,
Feel yourself coming home to your own journey.
Feel the peace of not needing to be anyone else.
Feel the freedom of not needing to prove yourself to anybody else.
You are exactly where you need to be.
You are learning exactly what you need to learn and you are becoming exactly who you need to become.
Let's take a deep breath now and as I exhale and when I'm ready I can open my eyes.
So the comparison trap is seductive because it promises that only if we could be like someone else or have their life we'll be happy.
But happiness may come from embracing your own journey with all the twists and the turns.
Your path is not better or worse than anyone else's,
It's just yours and that makes it precious and perfect in its own way.
The world needs you exactly as you are,
Exactly where you are on your path.
So thank you for joining me today and thank you for walking your unique journey with courage.
So thank you everyone and Namaste.
