February 13, 2011

February 13: Viva La Difference

I do need to give up comparing myself to others; it is a well-engrained knee-jerk response I learned as a kid in my family of origin.

Today's CTC describes me almost to a "T":   "Comparing myself to others was a{n ineffective habit} that plagued me all my life.  In program too, I've continued to focus on how others ....always had the right things to say when they shared or seemed more popular. I didn't like myself because I wasn't living up to what I believed to be true about others."

It is time for me to accept that I am unique, and incomparible.  Just as each snowflake or  thumbprint is different, every person in our  programs is different. We come together to honor what we all have in common, and to learn from one another, not to compare and see who is highest on the ladder. 

 I have heard from others in these rooms how especially unhelpful it is to judge my insides against other people's outsides. Each of us is doing the best we can to use our unique gifts. "Like every other member of the fellowship, I offer an important contribution to the EA group, simply by participating and being myself."  My growth in the program can't be compared with anyone else's.

If I am still in doubt about my worth, let me ask my sponsor or trusted EA friend to help me what I can learn to love in me. 

"It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is." Desiderius Erasmus

2 comments:

  1. When I compare myself with others, I am not content. Best to just have gratitude.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Indeed. I am grateful today for who I am. Even my illness is an aspect of myself that continues to teach me...

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I welcome your thoughts. Keep me honest~