All [Music] right, you guys. It's warm outside. It's feeling great. I feel like summer is here. But also, this is the time of year where the comparison trap is real. So, we're going to talk about it, how to recognize it, and to make sure that it doesn't sabotage your peace or your money. But first, let's just have a little come to Jesus moment. Okay, social media. You're going to see you're going to be scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, scrolling, and you're going to see, you know, pictures full of people's, you know, travel, days at the pool, running with their kids through fields, being out with girls night on a rooftop bar, like whatever it is, okay? You're going to see all the fun of people's lives this summer because it is fun.
All of this is great. But please just remember, again, I'm just giving you like what you know, but it's just the truth. So, we need to say it out loud over and over and over again. You don't know the full picture, okay? when you see someone's life, you're just seeing that one snapshot that they've chosen, by the way, to put out to the world. So remember that. And I'm not saying everyone's walking around being all fake and stuff.
It's not that. It's just there is a curation happening and we need to say it out loud. And so what you're not seeing are, you know, the fits that the kids are throwing. You're not seeing, you know, maybe the stress of like that girl's trying to figure out her outfit and she's got frustrated and all this stuff in her closet. like are you don't see all these parts of people's lives. You're kind of just seeing that just the best just this picture. So always give the person that you're seeing in that social post grace. Give yourself grace. And for me, one of the best ways to just practice contentment is to focus on what I am grateful for for my life. It's so easy to live through someone else's life. Live through your own and be grateful for it. That's one reason I wrote the contentment journal because gratitude is such a massive part of our rewiring of how we live life. So gratitude, humility, contentment, all of that is in the contentment journal.
Put a link down below if you want to check it out. But this is something that is so crucial to you winning with money. So that's our little come to Jesus moment about social media. You know it. I'm just going to say it again. Now, what can you do if you feel like you are trapped in this like spiral of comparisons? Well, number one, just pay attention. I just want you to be aware what is going on inside of you. Understand like okay if that feeling of jealousy comes up or anger or frustration or like oh this or that or envy like when these emotions come up recognize them. And I would say this too don't be like oh I shouldn't feel that go. No just be with it for a second and be curious and figure out like okay what is going on within me that's causing this? Is it is it the person themselves? Is it the life that they're living? Is it what's missing in my life that I feel like they have and I don't? Like start just asking yourself some questions.
Then number two, start to pivot. And I want you to, you know, be aware, be conscious of what's going on inside of you, but then realize we like we don't want to stay there forever and ever. Amen. Start to turn your eyes towards again that gratitude like what we talked about because we want you to like again not just numb away that feeling, but also we don't want to stay in it forever. So recognize, hey, I'm going to I'm going to live a life of gratitude and I'm going to say to myself and point out this is what I'm grateful for for my life today.
Be present where you are. And then number three, just a little challenge. Remember who's watching you. Okay, you have people around you constantly, whether it's family, friends, a spouse, your kids especially, and people are interacting with you and knowing what's going on. And so I think, you know, especially on a friendship level, like have those people in your life that you can have these conversations with. that's great. But especially if you have people that are looking up to you, like there is something to be said that if you live in a life of comparison and stress and jealousy, people feel that from you.
They know that about you and it's not a very attractive quality, right? So again, getting to the root of all of this is so big. But remember those eyes that that are watching you. All right, before I share my number one tip for stopping the comparison spiral, I do want to share a tip about healthc care coverage. Christian Healthcare Ministries. Health insurance costs are only moving one way and that way is not down. And wait times are longer. It's harder than ever to get anything approved. And if you feel like the system is working against you, try Christian Healthcare Ministries. It's a biblically based alternative to health insurance. CHM is a health cost sharing ministry that's helped hundreds of thousands of families like yours, take care of health care costs, save true to their values, and avoid getting tied down by miles of red tape.
You guys, there is a better way. And CHM programs start as low as $98 a month. So find out more and join at chmin ministries.org/budget. That's chmin ministries.org/budget. All right. The number one thing I want you to remember as we're fighting against the comparison trap this summer is every tax bracket has its challenges that you will never see. Kind of what we were saying earlier that you don't see the full picture. But you have to remember we do not know the details of people's lives. That influencer that you're watching, you have no idea the family challenges that she's having. You know that person that's like taking some exotic vacation, you have no idea the health issues that they may be struggling with. you know, your friends who it seems like their kids are always behaving.
They're always like on their best behavior and they're just so great and all of it. You have no idea what's happening behind the scenes and the frustrated morning they had, right? Like, we're not seeing this. And so, money does not fix it all, you guys. It does not fix it all. So, sometimes we can glamorize certain people's lifestyles, but remember, there are things that are going to happen in life that money cannot buy. Money cannot fix. And so, recognizing that people struggle all day long. They do. There are people that are struggling relationally with health issues, spiritually. I mean, all of it. So, just knowing and again, giving that person grace in the picture that you're seeing, giving yourself grace just to know we're not seeing the full picture of this person's life.
So, just celebrate them where they are, be grateful for your life, and continue to make that a cycle. Now, we've talked about the tactical ways to kind of pivot those feelings, but to really understand the heart issue behind comparison, I want you to check out my video, The Real Reason Everyone Seems Wealthier Than You. You can click here, or if you're listening on podcast, click the link below. All right, you guys. Remember to take control of your money and create a life you love..
