I recently took a trip to one of those quintessential British seaside towns. You know the type—fish and chips on the beach, a long pier stretching out to sea with an arcade at the end. It was great fun, but I came back with an unwanted souvenir: a nasty case of gastroenteritis. Not exactly the memento I was hoping for!
This bug hit me hard. It started last Tuesday, and I'm still wrestling with it. It knocked me for six, leaving me in too much pain to take coaching calls or even write. But you know what they say—every cloud has a silver lining. In this case, my silver lining was the time it gave me to reflect.
During my recovery, I had an interesting chat with some friends. Two of them, who I'd always thought were absolutely crushing it financially, turned out to be... well, not quite what they seemed. One was living off their savings fund, and the other was borrowing money from their ex-husband just to keep up appearances.
It got me thinking about how easy it is to fall into the trap of comparison. We all know that social media only shows the highlight reel of people's lives, right? But I realized that sometimes, even in our friendships, we only see the version that people want us to see—the happy marriage, the new car, the success story.
I've always tried to stay in my own lane and not get caught up in comparing myself to others. After all, we're all on different journeys. But this experience made me realize something important: sometimes, we know so little about the people close to us because we get distracted by the glitter they sprinkle over their lives.
This whole experience has been a wake-up call. It's reminded me that we all have our own stories, our own struggles. It was a stark reminder to look deeper, even when I think there's nothing more to see. In this world of make-believe, I'd failed to notice the cracks in the facade my friends had created. And as a friend, I need to do better. I need to be there for them even when it looks like they don't need it. It's about holding their hand and walking each other home.
So, here's my takeaway from all this, and I hope it resonates with you too: Let's try to look beyond the glitter. Let's ask our friends if they're really okay, if they're coping. Let's acknowledge the person beneath the sparkly exterior. Because at the end of the day, that's what real friendship is all about.
And hey, while we're at it, let's be a bit kinder to ourselves too. The next time you find yourself playing the comparison game, remember—you're only seeing a small part of someone else's story. Your journey is uniquely yours, and that's something to celebrate.
Until next time, stay authentic and keep swimming—just maybe not at the British seaside for a while! 😉
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