Comparison!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my first blog post on Happiest Here! Man, this is so cool. I am so grateful for a space to write freely, share my experiences, and spread Jesus's light.

Yesterday, I put a poll on my Instagram story. Actually, I put two of them. The first one asked the question "Do you truly believe your worth is not attached to what you achieve? Or is that just something your working towards?" The answer choices were "I believe it!" and "Working on it!" Unsurprisingly, the majority of the votes were on the "working on it!" side.

The second asked, "When comparing yourself to those around you, what do you usually envy about them the most?" The answer choices were "their intellect," "their talent," "their beauty," and "their character." Most people said they envied other's beauty the most. The least amount of people chose intellect.

I just wanted to share those "statistics" with y'all. I thought they were interesting. Maybe I'm more of a numbers girl than I thought hehe.

Anyways, in addition to using social media to keep up with my friends and share experiences & milestones in my own life, I love to use it for learning more about my followers, so you'll occasionally find me asking deep questions through polls LOL.

Based on the results from the poll, it is clear that comparison runs rampant in today's society- which is no surprise & it's honestly exhausting. I'm sure you can relate.

The cycle I know all to well goes like this. I start out happy and content with what God is doing in my life and what He has blessed me with. Then, I start to notice what other people are doing, and I feel the need to improve another aspect of my life. Now don't get me wrong, striving for self-improvement is something I am all for- just not if your motive stems from a desire to be like someone else.

Something that God has been teaching me lately is that there will always be something else to work towards. Let's say I am super happy with my workout routine and have been being consistent for the past month. I'm feeling good, but then someone I know gets a big award for their academic achievements. I suddenly feel bad about myself. Yes, I am meeting my wellness goals, but why can't I be smarter? This is just a theoretical situation, but yes situations like this have happened to me before. It happens a lot actually.

If I am proud of my performance in one aspect of life, but it's only a little while longer until I start to wish I had something more- something "better". The thought process is usually like this: Sure, I got accepted into my dream university, but why can't I be prettier, funnier, take better pictures, be a better friend, have a better personality, be more organized, do my makeup better, read my Bible more, be a better driver... THE LIST COULD GO ON AND ON, and it's a vicious cycle.

I can literally make myself sick thinking of all that I'm not. But that's when God steps in. He tells me "Bailee, there will always be something else. You're looking for perfection in all the wrong places." Which, of course, is so true. God's good at stopping me in my tracks with words that cut straight to soul.

When caught in comparison, I have to stop myself and remind myself that God has created me uniquely. There is no one exactly like Bailee Chavez. Not even my twin sister is exactly like me in every single way. And the same is true for you.

I think there is something really special about being uniquely you. I think there is so much power in embracing your strengths, flaws, and insecurities because those are what make you YOU. Your strengths allow you to do what you do best, and your flaws + insecurities allow you to rely on the grace of God and empathize with others in the fact that we are all HUMAN.

Perfect people wouldn't be interesting anyways. The coolest people I know share their struggles in a way that helps people relate to them. They show how their imperfections give them strength, and they embrace their own personal gifts and talents with all that they have.

I shared a quote the other day that said this "Confidence is not walking into a room thinking that you're better than everyone. It's walking into a room and not having to compare yourself at all." How freeing! Comparison is inevitable, but when it does happen we are free to remind ourselves that there is no person on this Earth who we have to measure up to. The only person who's lifestyle we should spend energy imitating is Jesus's.

Romans 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Jesus is the one who gives and takes away. The person beside you may be blessed with incredible gifts, BUT SO ARE YOU. Please take the time to invest in those gifts. Stop searching for validation by looking to your left and right because you won't find it. Or actually, maybe you will. But it won't last. You'll never be perfect at everything. Luckily, God's power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Well, that's pretty much all I have to say for my first blog post. Maybe you've already heard this a million times. Maybe it's a new concept. Either way, I hope you take it to heart. We're in this together. Love y'all! Thanks for being here!