Have you ever looked at other people and found yourself feeling like you’ve fallen short? Whether it’s comparisons to business or career success, personal fulfillment or relationships, we might find ourselves looking at what other people have achieved and feel that what we’ve done is insignificant and unimportant in comparison.

Maybe they’re earning more than 10 times more than we are. Maybe they seem to have the perfect family, with the doting spouse and fantastically wonderful children. Maybe their house is spotless and looks like it was taken from the pictures of a fancy magazine.

Whatever the area, we feel like we haven’t done enough, we haven’t achieved as much and, therefore, there must be something wrong with us since we are so obviously (at least in our own minds) less than them in at least some way.

Before we go any further I want to make it clear: You are not “less than” anyone else. Just because, on the outside, you don’t appear to have achieved as much as others doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with you. Each person is living his/her own life, complete with his/her own strengths, challenges and passions. To look at the lives other people are living and compare ourselves to what we see will only set us up for heartache and disappointment.

Just as they don’t see what is going on beneath the surface in our minds and hearts or the challenges we’ve faced and all we’ve overcome, we don’t usually really have a clue what’s going on in the hearts and minds of others. Are they facing fears or anxieties that we would never imagine? Are they facing challenges that we would never even want to think about?

Instead of focusing on what others have that we don’t, instead of paying more attention to the external lives of others that we deeply want, let’s focus instead on being grateful for everything we have – and everything we don’t.

Let’s practice gratitude. Here are some ideas for how you can do this:

- Keep a gratitude/success journal where you write 3-5 items that you are grateful for. Write in this journal at least 3 times a week. This will shift your focus from thinking about everything you want that you don’t have to appreciating the people and items that are in your life right now.
- Say thank you to people who provide a service for you, even if it seems like a small thing or something that’s their job. Thank the bus drivers, the cashiers, the people who hold the doors open for you or help you with your parcels.
- Wake up each morning expressing gratitude that you are blessed to wake up another day and to have an opportunity to contribute to the lives of those around you, both near and far. Be thankful for another opportunity to build on your successes and to learn from and make amends for your mistakes. Be grateful for the breaths you take, the water you drink, the food you eat that allow you to live.

What are YOU grateful for today?

Author's Bio: 

Elizabeth Spevack is the founder of Heart and Soul Living. Elizabeth specializes in empowering women by helping them break through their self-imposed barriers, build their trust in themselves and share their unique gifts with the world. Elizabeth's passion is opening the eyes of women experiencing deep anxiety to the world of opportunities around them and helping them live their purpose.

Visit http://www.heartandsoulliving.com to sign up to receive your free guide, "9 strategies to break free of the anxiety that drains your soul - and become the person you were meant to be".