The comparison trap
Your Family|December 2016

We’re all guilty of comparing ourselves with the joneses, and at christmas things are no different. In fact, it seems to get worse!.

The comparison trap

If it’s not us comparing ourselves with those around us, green with envy at what they have, then it’s our children telling us about their friends’ latest and greatest when it comes to toys, clothes and – yes – even holidays! The sad reality is, it doesn’t really matter how many people you have rooting for you in life – if you’re not on your own team, you’ll never move forward.

THE HIGH COST OF KEEPING UP

Everyone is affected by the battle of comparison in one way or another. Research indicates that more than 50% of NBA players and NFL players file for bankruptcy within five years of retirement, and some celebrities end up broke after earning more money than many will ever see in their entire lives. Even Lotto winners have been known to lose their millions almost as quickly as winning them. People comment that, in their attempts to be better than those around them, they’ve found themselves in the position of paying their entire salaries out on debt repayments – and not on normal living costs.

This story is from the December 2016 edition of Your Family.

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This story is from the December 2016 edition of Your Family.

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