Ray’s Daily
April 25, 2019
“Comparison is the death of joy.”
Mark Twain
Have you noticed that some folks are so busy trying to outdo their neighbors or co-workers that they don’t appreciate themselves? I know nobodies better at being you than you, so trying to be someone else is not worth the effort.
Sure, it is OK to build on what you have to offer but not because of someone else but because you want to be the best you as possible. Here is an edited article I saved years ago that I think is right on, do you?
How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others (and Start Empowering Yourself)
by Henrik Edberg
One of the most common and destructive daily habit is to constantly compare your life and yourself to other people and their lives. You compare cars, houses, jobs, shoes, money, relationships, social popularity and so on. And at the end of the day you pummel your self-esteem to the ground and you create a lot of negative feelings within. And perhaps also outside of yourself. So what can you do? How can you get a handle on this habit?
Well, today I’d like to share 3 steps that have helped me to move away from this – it does take some time though so be patient with yourself – and towards a healthier outlook and view of myself and life.
Step 1: Just realize that you can’t win if you compare yourself to others. Just consciously realizing this is helpful. No matter what you do you can pretty much always find someone else in the world that has more than you or are better than you at something.
Step 2: Compare yourself to yourself. Instead of comparing yourself to other people create the habit of comparing yourself to yourself. See how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what progress you have made towards your goals. This habit has the benefit of creating gratitude, appreciation and kindness towards yourself as you observe how far you have come, the obstacles you have overcome and the good stuff you have done.
Step 3: Be kinder towards other people. In my experience, the way you behave and think towards others seems to have a big, big effect on how you behave towards yourself and think about yourself. Judge and criticize people more and you tend to judge and criticize yourself more (often almost automatically). Be kinder to other people and help them and you tend to be kinder and more helpful to yourself. So focus your mind on helping people and being kind. Focus on the positive things in yourself and in the people around you.
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“When you are content to be simply yourself and don’t compare or compete, everybody will respect you.”
Lao Tzu
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Some Camping Tips
When using a public campground, a tuba placed on your picnic table will keep the campsites on either side vacant.
While the Swiss Army Knife has been popular for years, the Swiss Navy Knife has remained largely unheralded. Its single blade functions as a tiny canoe paddle.
Modern rain suits made of fabrics that “breathe” enable campers to stay dry in a downpour. Rain suits that sneeze, cough, and belch, however, have been proven to add absolutely nothing to the wilderness experience.
The canoe paddle, a simple device used to propel a boat, should never be confused with a gnu paddle,a similar device used by Tibetan veterinarians.
Take this simple test to see if you qualify for solo camping: Shine a flashlight into one ear. If the beam shines out the other ear, do not go into the woods alone.
The guitar of the noisy teenager at the next campsite makes excellent kindling.
It’s entirely possible to spend your whole vacation on a winding mountain road behind a large motor home.
Bear bells provide an element of safety for hikers in grizzly country. The tricky part is getting them on the bears.
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A day without radiation is a day without sunshine.
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“What do you love most about me,” a husband asked his wife, “my tremendous athletic ability or my superior intellect?”
“What I love most about you,” responded the man’s wife, “is your incredible sense of humor.”
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It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
Marcus Aurelius
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A Blonde’s Cookbook
Monday: It’s fun to cook for Tom. Today I made angel food cake. The recipe said beat 12 eggs separately. The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.
Tuesday: Tom wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said serve without dressing. So, I didn’t dress. What a surprise when Tom brought a friend home for supper.
Wednesday: A good day for rice. The recipe said wash thoroughly before steaming the rice. It seemed kind of silly, but I took a bath anyway. I can’t say it improved the rice any.
Thursday: Today Tom asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It said prepare ingredients, lay on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving. Tom asked me why I was rolling around in the garden.
Friday: I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said, put the ingredients in a bowl and beat it. There must have been something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left.
Saturday: Tom did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday. For some reason, Tom keeps counting to ten.
Sunday: Tom’s folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all I had was hamburger. Suddenly, I had a flash of genius. I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.
Well, good night, dear diary. This has been a very exciting week. I am eager for tomorrow to come, so I can try out a new recipe on Tom. If I can talk Tom into buying a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with chocolate moose.
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“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”
Buddha
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Ray Mitchell
Indianapolis, Indiana
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than fifteen years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@gmail.com. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are more than 2000 readers from around the world.
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