We’ve all done it. When driving, it’s so easy to get distracted!  Have you ever had to put on the breaks, honk your horn or swerve out of the way?  Me too!  Actually,  confession time here.  I vividly remember one time in high school I had just finished visiting a friend and was driving home at night.  I can totally see it in my mind’s eye, still!  Something fell on the floor of my car so I simply reached down, thinking I could grab it really quick.  True, but I didn’t perceive that as I went down to pick it up, I turned the steering wheel slightly.  The car suddenly jerked, and I ended up bumping into the curb and was now driving on the sidewalk!  All thoughts of the object were obliterated.  Because of that distraction, and how I dealt with it, now I was in a place I didn’t want to be. With my heart pounding, I quickly reassessed and got back on the road. I learned an important lesson.  

January is a month where we focus on a lot of ‘R’ words.  It’s typically a time for Reset, Resolutions, Restitution, and Running the Races we want to finish.  This month can be a fresh beginning and there are many that encourage us to GO, GO, GO; myself included.   Today,  I’m going to give you one tip to actually STOP something this month.  Stop comparing yourself and circumstances to other people.  As a coach, I see this as one of the biggest obstacles to our personal growth.  How we look at others is impactful. Stop looking around and measuring yourself against them.  That was never God’s program.  His is a program of joy!  

When we look at others for inspiration and encouragement that helps us elevate our lives.  When we look at others and start comparing, we fall into judgment and it never serves us. Why do we go there???   Comparing ourselves to others is a temptation that can cause us to bump into curbs, wreck our God-given vehicle of agency, and cause our wheels to spin.  Are you still with me?  Great!  Let’s put a little more fuel in our souls. 

We are here on earth to learn and as we yoke with Christ we can have joy in the journey of becoming.  The Savior shows us the pattern of arriving to our destinations in the best way possible.   He said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.”  (John 14:6)   So what was His way?  He was forthright, truthful, deliberate, powerful, trusted God; was faithful; inspired, obedient and so many other good things.  He never compared because He knew who He was and what he wanted to accomplish.  Charity was His way.  So my friends, if you really want to thrive this year –  Stop Comparing to others and instead look to Christ.  Once you connect with His true love, comparison is hushed. 

Action Item:  Offer the prayer, “Dear God, help me see myself the way you see me” and stay in your own lane.  Your life is the perfect road, made just for you to learn on.