Comparison is the thief of joy

Hello,
Gosh, it feels so long since I last posted!
 I really can't believe it, I hope you're all doing really well.
Today's post is about a quote and subject that really intrigues me, and the title of this post "Comparison is the thief of joy".
Now, I'll hold my hands up and say I didn't know who first coined the term when I started this post, but I will say that they were remarkably clever and unwittingly true. Infact, in quick research I have found that this term was quoted by Theodore Roosevelt. And so, perhaps before going any further it would be relevant to look at how Roosevelt's life shaped the ideals he came to believe and how these manifested into what he was able to achieve. Despite being born a sickly child, with debilitating asthma Roosevelt overcame his difficulties. He was known to have an "exhauberant personality" with a "vast range of interests" and after being home educated he then attended Harvard where he became a historian and popular and gifted writer. He then entered politics, but then took time away after grieving the deaths of his Wife and Mother and ran a cattle ranch in the Dakota's. It is after this he came back east to run unsuccessfully as the Mayor for New York City. He then served as assistant secretary of the Navy, resigning after one year to serve in the First U.S volunteer cavalry regiment, where he gained national fame for courage during the Spanish-American war. Roosevelt was then elected as Governor of New York, thereafter, after much further hard work in politics Roosevelt succeeded to the office at age 42, becoming the youngest American President in history. In 1906 he won the Nobel peace prize for his successful efforts to end the Russo-Japanese war.
After leaving office, Roosevelt travelled but then came back to America, disenchanted with new regimes. It is in this frustration at home that led to him then lead a two year expedition to the Amazon-Basin where he and his team explored the "River of doubt" unearthing "many new animals and insect specimens" as it had only previously been explored by the indigenous people of the area.
Although planning to run for President again in 1920, Roosevelt suffered deteriorating health and died in 1919. He is consistently ranked as one of 'The greatest American Presidents' by scholars far and wide and his face is carved into Mount Rushmore alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln.

What is so incredible when admiring the life of a man that seems so fully lived, is that it wasn't without its setbacks. He had already tried to run for Mayor of New York unsuccessfully before becoming Governor. He worked vigorously in politics for years before he came into office. All inspite of health difficulties, loss of family and various things that went right or went wrong. Roosevelt didn't let any of this deter him, he believed he could make a change and make a difference and so he worked hard to ensure he could make as much of an impact as he could. Like anyone, inevitably there must have been times during the periods when things weren't working out, that he stopped and looked around and saw associates, friends and colleagues excelling. Although happy for their achievements, it is in these times that in order to overcome the stalemate, he didn't dwell on what he felt he'd lost, he only aspired to move forward. He understood that comparison didn't in fact help anyone or anything, only save the time when using it to be a benchmark for where he wanted to be. I feel this is so relevant.
There are times when I get angry that I'm a lot tireder than I used to be, that I can't do things as quickly, efficiently as others, yet I have to stop and think how can I compare myself to others if they do not have the same health problems? It is just like the Einstein quote "If you judge a fish by it's ability to climb a tree, it will go it's whole life believing it's stupid". Maybe instead of looking at what others can do that you cannot, you waste the time you could be using emphasising on how to make the skills you have got even better. Maybe in illness, instead of being angry for even a loss of physical ability in yourself, be grateful for the things you haven't lost and remember them.
Roosevelt was right, do not compare, be happy for all you can do because tomorrow you may even be able to do more than you thought.

Molly

Footnote- Research on Theodore Roosevelt gathered mainly from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Roosevelt