What If Everyday Was a Clean Slate

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Comparison is the thief of joy.

You have probably heard this phrase. I'd like to add onto this idea to include expectations as well. How often do we live our lives in a state of expectation or comparison? It's wired in us to compare and analyze our situations...but to what extent? In our current society, we have built our lives around comparisons and expectations and it's robbing us of the gift of feeling joy and happiness at any moment.

As parents, we often set expectations on our kids. How often have you compared your kid to yourself at that age? What message are you sending when you do that?  

As partners, we often set high expectations of our spouses. We expect them to be in a good mood, cheer us up after a bad day, read our minds, and help out around the house.

We also put high expectations on ourselves. We compare what we do, how we look, how we act, and how productive we are. But we aren't just comparing ourselves to others. We compare what we do today with what we did yesterday. If we aren't as good or better, it effects our day. When we don't live up to some imagined expectation, our negative self talk rises. Does this sound familiar? 

What if we woke up one day and had no way to compare ourselves to others or to yesterday? What if we had no idea what we accomplished or how we felt the day before? What if we had no expectations for the day?

What would be your benchmark for the day?

• When getting out of the shower, how would you see your body if you didn't know what yesterday's body looked like?

• At work, how would it feel to not compare your output to yesterday's?

• How would you greet your spouse if you forgot they didn't take the trash out the night before?

• Without comparison, how would you react to your child's grades when she shows you her latest test?

What would it feel like to just wake up and live your life for today? 

Take 10 minutes to journal about this. See where it takes you. Then take a moment to think how it would be for your spouse, kids or co-workers if you could live in such a way.

Love & Light,

Becky Keylock

Founder of Interwoven Wellness