Apples to Oranges

All of life is just one big comparison. This restaurant doesn't have as good of food/service/atmosphere as that one, this movie wasn't as good as the book, your girlfriend/boyfriend isn't as thoughtful/pretty/funny as your ex, you don't make as much money as your coworkers, et cetera et cetera.

You see, comparison breeds envy. Why do you think rich people can never be happy? Because they are never satisfied with what they have. An endless quest for more money, more cars, bigger houses, shinier watches. If someone else has something better, you have to have it too.

The same reason that some guys won't call girls (that they didn't really even like) back until they see them out with another guy -- they want what they don't/can't have. They compare themselves to the new person and are envious of what they have. The entire fashion industry seems to run on envy. Girls want to look like the skinny, pretty, glamorous models, and guys want to be with them.

I read an article today that listed the top 5 traits of happy people. One of them was being thankful for what you have and another was appreciating the smaller things in life. In the end you should focus on what truly makes you happy. And if that is a yacht and a mansion in the Hamptons that makes you happy, by all means, indulge. But remember, life is not a competition and you'll stress yourself out (and burn yourself out) if you try to live that way.

Sunshine, love, and puppies.