Comparison is the Thief of Joy

“Comparison is the Thief of Joy”. I heard this quote recently from Theodore Roosevelt and it made me ponder for quite a while. Have you ever compared yourself to someone in a way that took away from your own accomplishments? I sure have and every time I do, I say this quote to myself. The work you put in and YOUR own progress is yours to own. Your progress is going to be different than someone else’s. I’ve been guilty of this when it comes to climbing related things. I compare myself to someone else and it diminishes my own progress and work that I’ve put in. It diminishes my own joy.

Joy is why I climb. I like to experience joy and I like to help others experience joy through climbing. The joy of getting a “send”, the joy of climbing outside for the first time, the joy of helping others move towards their goals, the joy of making a mental breakthrough. As a guide, I experience joy when my guests leave learning new skills and leave with smiles and stoke. I also experience joy when I get my own sends, my own breakthroughs, my own progress, etc.

Comparing yourself to others is something I think we’ve all done before or have done in our lives. It’s a tough thing not to do with the way society is driven nowadays. Having goals tends to make you compare yourself with someone who’s further along the journey than you are. At least I think so. The 5.8 climber compares themselves to the 5.10 climber, the 10a climber compares themselves to the 11a climber and so on. When we compare, we take away from our own happiness and waste energy. The energy we could put into our own things, we give away when we compare.

Just food for thought! Thanks again to all who read these posts and for the support!

-John