As I sat down to write this column, I could not help but compare it to the ones before it.
For every sentence I typed on the page, many were deleted because I felt that they were not as good as what I have previously written.
This is version nine of this article.
Theodore Roosevelt once said that “comparison is the thief of joy.” The quote may be deemed a cliché, but it still holds an immense amount of truth in it.
This column is something I have come to find great joy in writing, but as I compared it to my previous work and the work of others, this joy quickly morphed into stress and this particular column became a mundane task.
A piece of my joy was taken by comparison. It’s something we all have experienced at least once in our lives.
A 94 is a great grade to receive, until you compare it to your friend’s 97.
Graduating college is a huge accomplishment and something to be proud of, but when you realize it took you five years and someone else did it in three years, your joy quickly fades.
You enjoyed your time on vacation, but were soon unsatisfied with it when you compared the things you did to all the things you did not do.
The pattern continues.
In 1954, social psychologist Leon Festinger proposed the social comparison theory, which suggests that people determine their personal and social worth by assessing how they compare to others.
If we develop our self-worth through our comparison to others, we are bound to develop negative associations either toward ourselves or toward those we compare. In most cases, the joy in situations is taken away as soon as we compare ourselves to those around us.
If we were to take comparison out of a situation, focusing just on what we have, would we still be unsatisfied with the 94? Graduating in five years? A vacation?
On the other hand, comparing the price of a product at two stores allows you to buy the cheaper one.
Comparing yourself to the person you were years ago, and how much you have grown, is reaffirming.
Comparing two outfits you feel confident in to wear for the evening is beneficial and a part of getting dressed. 
These are healthy comparisons, and it’s beneficial to learn the difference.
When we get so wrapped up in the practice of comparing our lives to others, constantly acknowledging the negative parts of ourselves, when are we living outside of our heads? When are we experiencing the world around us instead of the created one in our minds?
The society we live in places ample opportunities in front of us that lead to comparison. Social media intensifies it. The thing we must do is recognize when we start down a comparison spiral.
It will not always happen immediately, but once we recognize this pattern, we can change the way it affects us.
Instead of feeling bitter about being single while you scroll past a friend’s engagement post, job promotion, etc, recognize that their path is not yours. You are not them, as much as you like to compare yourself to them.
What is meant for you will find you, even if it found someone else first. Just because someone else has already done it, does not mean you are not able to do it too.
Compare yourself and your life to others to inspire and motivate you, not hinder you. Do not let comparison take away your joy because joy is a birthplace of all things good, and you are worthy of good things.
Lauren Madden is a 22-year-old mass communication senior from Mandeville.