Comparison is an odious passtime - but we do it all the time. We were educated to believe that life is a competition - it is something that was drilled into us at school. Comparison is all around us: he drives a better car than me; they take better holidays than us; my little Johnny is a better footballer than the others; I've nicer clothes than she has... the list is endless and it permeates everything that we do... all the way up to the Boardroom... companies want to grind the opposition down, take each other out.
Wanting to be the best is no bad thing - but it doesn't have to be achieved at anyone else's expense, nor does the competitive analysis that goes with everyday comparative thinking have to absorb our mental energy. Instead of being the best in comparison to others, why not strive for what is best for you and those around you... it's an entirely different definition of best and it has all kinds of implications.
We tend to want: I want a better job; I want a slimmer me; I want a more balanced life... but the normal mind doesn't know what it wants because it is constantly in comparison mode, it is looking at the world and what it wants from a flawed perspective, the perspective of personality and the fact that my personality doesn't quite measure up... personality never can! We need to stop wanting and start living, stop craving and start enjoying the here and now.
Yes, we need to have goals and objectives - but not because someone else has them but because they would be best for us and those around us. We need to set our minds the effortless task of achieving what would be the very best for us. That means that we need to be less prescriptive and more open to the possibilities of life. That means that we need to entice our subconscious with exciting pictures of what best would look, feel, sound, smell and taste like, rather than saying "I must have this" or "I'll only be happy when I have that".
And, most of all, we need to forget about the notion that life is a competition: business might be, sports often are... but life is for living, now.
Pushing Yourself
We need to constantly keep ourselves on our toes - if we don't keeping pushing the boundaries we will settle back into our comfort zone. We need to make ourselves uncomfortable. We need to get on with and do the things that we know we must do to achieve our wildest dreams - things outside of the ordinary. So, what - extraordinary - action are you going to take today?
I noticed, whilst in the UK last week, that London now has a Fawlty Towers themed restaurant - where you, quite literally, pay to be abused! But, you can do that almost anywhere in France!! A friend, just returned with his family from the South of France, recounts the story of trying to find something light to eat at lunchtime: he was hungry, the three kids were hungry but his wife wanted something light to eat. So, they found a nice restaurant and he ordered a main course for himself and four Menu Enfant... "Three" snarled the waiter... "Four" politely replied my friend "My wife just wants something light to eat". "Three" replied the waiter "She cannot eat a Menu Enfant".
On the one hand, it is interesting to note that no attempt was made to accommodate the customer. On the other, the waiter was following Les Regles - the rules - and rules must be obeyed at all times. France is a country of rules and I would not be surprised if there is actual legislation about selling a Menu Enfant to an adult! Many restaurants tell you under what age your child must be to benefit from Nuggets and Chips! And, many years ago, when we attempted to purchase children's tickets for the Louvre in Paris, we were asked for our children's Birth Certificates... you know, the kind of thing that you always carry around with you!
Anyway, if you're travelling in France this year and feel like something light to eat, order a starter or pretend to be ill... whatever you do, don't conspire to have your waiter break Les Regles... the menu police might be hiding in the kitchen!!
