We
live in a culture obsessed with comparison.
As parents, we feel the pressure intensely with our children, or in our
careers as we see others succeed, or in our homes when we alternate locations
for small group gatherings. We may not
even be aware we are suffering from a disorder – Obsessive Comparison Disorder.
How
do you know if you suffer from Obsessive Comparison Disorder?
- Do you feel delighted when you do something better than someone else?
- Do you feel like you do not measure up when someone else does something better than you?
- Do you look on Facebook or Pinterest or Instagram and wish your life was more like that?
- Do you feel better at someone else’s misfortune?
- Do you feel burdened by something unfair or unequal?
- Do you feel embarrassed about something you have that isn’t new or trendy?
If
you answered yes to any of these questions, then you will enjoy reading I’m Happy for You (Sort Of…Not Really)
by Kay Wills Wyma. We are content when
comparison is not involved, and we may be oblivious to what we lack, but once
we start measuring against a new standard, we either enter the Land of
Discontent or the Land of Superiority.
Full
of anecdotes and illustrations from her life as well as highlights sprinkled
throughout the book of others' experiences, Wyma shows how big the problem of
comparison is and reminds us that things are not always what they seem. She
also gives solutions without sounding preachy, weaving them into her stories by
showing what happens when we can accept life’s inequalities, when we can say “I
am happy for you” and mean it without comparing, and when we can know each
other for who we are and not what we do.
When we can think less about ourselves instead of less of ourselves,
then we can begin to overcome the discontentment or superiority that comes from
comparing.
I
thought this book was delightful, entertaining, and humorous while also
exposing the painful layers of my heart that are guilty of comparison in ways I
had never considered. I highly recommend
this book to mothers and grandmothers.
To learn more about this book, check out the following:
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy
of this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
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