President Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”
This is true. Comparing ourselves to others will often give a sense of inadequacy. We might feel pretty good about our growth THEN in one second, it’s all taken away when we see a perfect photo or have a conversation with someone much further in their health or parenting journey.
Social media can be the greatest thief of joy.
With that said, proper comparison can also bring us a healthier perspective. Let me give you an example of how measured comparison can empower us to show ourselves a little grace.
I enjoy mixing up my meals for my boys, sometimes when I take the most amount of time and put together a Pinterest worthy meal…they don’t even breathe on it. A colorful meal that has unique food cut into different shapes served on a stylish animal-shaped kids plate and they choose to pass on that meal!
I’ll be honest, it still hurts my feelings. My food preparation for my kids can sometimes become more about me than them.
As I talk about in my ‘Turning Picky Eaters into Adventurous Eaters’ self-paced course, our kids get to make the choice to eat or not eat. Mine make that choice and it still sometimes hurts my heart. My mind knows the benefit, but my heart still gets annoyed.
Other times I am so frazzled making what feels like the 100th meal this week so I take 2 minutes to throw together a PB&J with a banana and milk and they treat it with the appreciation of a 4-course meal at a fancy restaurant! I laugh and sit in disbelief. Give yourself some grace.
Lean into the messy, but worth-it work of feeding littles.
Compare yourself to this Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master’s Degree and you might actually feel just fine also giving yourself some grace.
One last example…with a Pinterest Fail to prove it. For my son’s 3rd birthday he desperately wanted a “David & Goliath” birthday cake.
I enjoy making my boys their cakes, I know I’ve only got a limited number of those to make in my lifetime. So I researched, prepared, baked and iced his cake with plant-based food dye…and this is what happened.
I was disappointed in my final product compared to all of my researched photos. I showed my husband and he tried his best, but couldn’t control his laughter (I was laughing as well). He persuaded me to relax and go with it.
When Matthias saw it, he lost his mind with joy! He couldn’t have been more excited. He thanked me 100 times over and still fondly remembers his cake. My heart was warmed and once again I was reminded, give yourself some grace.
It’s more about the environment that we are creating for mealtime and food than the actual food served or eaten!
If I can help you get unstuck with a course or course and one-on-one package or you’d like to set up a discovery call for (weight loss, food intolerances, allergies, diabetes, IBS, PCOS or other nutrition related obstacles) I’d love to help you enter into a more enjoyable season of life.