I envy you. You might be more successful, more attractive, or smarter than I am. I find it very natural to compare myself to you. I make up stories about how you've gotten to where you are by default or with help. That nothing will come to me by chance or luck.
By envying you I am keeping a fire alive inside me. It may not be a fire that fuels positive change, but it's a burning I recognize. I'm feeling something. In this heated state I get to feel justified. I get to be right. I get to make up stories about how I should be where joe schmo is when where I'm at is exactly where I need to be. I get to blame myself for not having what I want while I sit on the sidelines.
This blog post idea surfaced as I was driving 75 mph on the freeway and the wheels in my head were turning faster than the ones on the road. A cascade of doubts falling on my shoulders. I said, "Let go!"
The comparative monster that lives on my back has been there for a long time. I know I have what I need to tell it to go elsewhere. I wonder what my monster is like compared to other people's monsters? I bet mines worse. Comparatively speaking.