Whether you feel self-conscious because you’re trying to keep up with those who appear to have more than you or you feel guilty because you’re the one who has more, ditching the comparison can help you reclaim your peace—and help your relationships, too.
The term “keeping up with the Joneses” originated in an early-twentieth-century comic of the same name in which a family struggled to keep pace with the lifestyle of their neighbors (who are never seen in the strip, which should tell us something). The commentary on our culture’s ingrained habit of comparing ourselves to those around us is even more relevant today, as social media has broadened the range of who our “neighbors” are.
