When I was younger, I used to wish I was part of the Royal Family — crowns, castles, the whole thing. But eventually I wised up to the fact that even kings and queens, princes and princesses, have troubles. The fantasy was never real.
And for a long time, I envied the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Carnegies… the über‑rich who seemed to float through life without consequence. But just like royalty, wealth doesn’t erase pain. And as I’ve matured, I’ve learned that the more money I have, the more I spend anyway. Turns out “effortless” is expensive.
There was also a time when I despised women with long, svelte legs — think Jerry Hall. I was convinced my own legs were too thick, too muscular, too… thunder‑adjacent. But then I realized it was my gigantic hamstrings that powered my running career. Without these legs, I never would have run fast. Never.
And hey … these legs earned me “Best Legs in School.” These legs broke records on the track. These legs carried me. And I’m proud of them.
But … the magazine covers, all the photoshopped images … they made me feel unworthy. They made me feel gross. Yes, before the highlight reels of today, before Instagram filters and 15‑second perfection, there were magazines. There were billboards. There were glossy spreads telling us what beauty should look like — and what we should look like by comparison.
And comparison is a sneaky thing. It doesn’t need to be true to feel true. Sometimes the mere thought of inadequacy is enough to haunt even the most sensible of folks.
“Envy comes from people’s own ignorance of, or lack of belief in their own gifts.” ~ Jean Vanier
We’re inundated with perfect images — curated lives, curated bodies, curated families — and we forget that the highlight reel is never the whole story. It’s never the truth. It’s just the part someone chose to show.
And for years, I measured myself against those highlights. Royalty. Wealth. Supermodel legs. All illusions. All edited. All incomplete.
But the older I get, the more I understand that the things I once envied were never real. And the things I once criticized about myself were never flaws — they were features. Strengths. Stories.
If you want more on the highlight reel — and how to finally stop comparing your real life to someone else’s edited one — this week’s episode is up on YouTube.
Cover image created with Jetpack.
If this spoke to you, be sure to “like” and share it over social with someone who’d appreciate the flavor …
DISCLAIMER: These are my personal experiences and opinions. Nothing here is medical, nutritional, or therapeutic advice. Also, I’m a writer and an editor. And I try my best to make sure every post is articulate and free from errors. However, being that I edit my own work—and it’s next to impossible to properly edit your own work—I admit, occasionally there may be an error or two I miss. But doing so doesn’t make me an idiot so don’t be mean. Just smile, pat yourself on the back for finding an error and be glad you’re not the only one who makes mistakes sometimes … xoxox
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