Comparison, the Thief of Joy

Описание: In this episode of *State of Mine*, co-hosts Kanwulia Gwam and Lia Neal explore how comparison becomes a conditioned habit—and how it can steal joy when it turns into self-rejection. They trace early roots of comparison to external influences (a teacher publicly returning geometry exams from highest to lowest score, and family/cultural norms of comparing kids), then discuss how competitive swimming and later environments like feedback-heavy workplaces, business school grading on a curve, social media, and LinkedIn reinforce the pattern. They unpack Teddy Roosevelt’s “comparison is the thief of joy,” distinguish healthy comparison as motivation from harmful comparison that undermines identity and self-trust, and share practical interrupts: changing social media habits, saying “I’m not thinking about this” to stop spirals, zooming out, and not comparing personal weaknesses to others’ strengths. They also name the “mosaic” trap of combining different people’s strengths into an unrealistic ideal, reflect on how comparison has cost them peace and pride, and close with a Dr. Seuss reminder that no one is “youer than you.”

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00:00 Welcome to State of Mine
00:21 Behind the Scenes Setup
01:15 Freezing NYC Weekend
02:27 Astrology Summer Forecast
03:53 Geometry and Comparison
06:04 Family and Culture Comparisons
07:24 Listener Prompt and Swimming
09:59 Work and Social Media Triggers
15:46 LinkedIn Highlight Reels
16:51 Comparison Thief of Joy
17:22 Reframing Identity and Strengths
18:47 When Comparison Becomes Self Rejection
19:36 Stop Comparing Weaknesses
21:13 Interrupt the Comparison Loop
22:15 Zoom Out for Perspective
24:30 Highlight Reel Mosaic Trap
26:39 Aspiration vs Self Rejection
28:53 What Comparison Costs Us
31:55 Reclaiming Joy and Grace
34:22 Grounded Identity Moving Forward
35:57 Dr Seuss Final Takeaway
37:26 Wrap Up and Farewell