Don't try to be better than others. Be this...

Many of us go to great pains to be better than others. We strive to have better cars than our neighbors, better clothes than our coworkers, more money than our friends.

In the grand scheme of life, none of this makes us happier in the long term. What we should do is redirect our focus toward growing, toward improving ourselves. In essence, it's about being better this year than who we were last year -- being considerably better today than, say, the 2012 version of you.

Everyone has his or her own definition of what makes a better person, or what constitutes personal growth. Here are a few examples:

Losing weight and being healthier
Getting a promotion and making more money
Getting into a relationship
Being married
Starting a family
Traveling more
Making new friends

At the end of the day, how much our friends make and which cars our neighbors drive should be the least of our concerns. Concentrate on bettering and being competitive with yourself. Up the ante each January as far as your New Year's resolutions go.

There will always be someone with more than you and someone with less than you, and that's always subject to change.

Our proudest accomplishments are those in which we rise above ourselves and achieve things we never possible. It begins with us and ends with us. Trying to be better than other people leads to nothing but fighting, jealousy, envy, and frayed relationships.

By staying self-focused and self-confident, I guarantee that you can achieve amazing things!

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