Why Breaking Out of the Comparison Trap Can Make Us Happier

Emily Madill
Thrive Global
Published in
6 min readFeb 27, 2019

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“Comparison is the death of joy.”

– Mark Twain

Mark Twain was right, comparison is the death of joy. Getting caught in the comparison trap, is also a sure way to disconnect from your inner truth.

Life can be noisy, if we allow it to be. When we get sloppy in our devotion to personal alignment, the urge to search outside of ourselves for happiness is enticing.

We live in a society that is fueled by illusions. When we feel unhinged, it’s easy to buy into the illusion that others hold the key to our happiness. The further we step away from our truth, the more we believe others know what is better for us than we do. We get caught in the comparison trap, when we stop trusting in our own inner guidance, and instead pursue someone else’s path to happiness.

What constitutes an abundant life is different for everyone. My personal definition of success is probably different than yours. Yet, when we separate from our inner truth, we likely experience similar feelings, such as: angst, uneasiness, fear, jealousy, worry, and sometimes even loneliness.

The surest way to align with our own version of an abundant life, is to stay grounded in our values and truth. But, when we’ve become accustomed to chasing happiness and comparing…

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Emily Madill
Thrive Global

Author & ICF Certified Coach (ACC)• BA in Business & Psychology.• Thrive Global editor-at-large•Author of 11 books•Coach at BetterUp•WWW.WEEKLYHAPPINESSNOTE.COM