Comparison is the thief of joy and mermaid tails.

Ever find yourself swimming through an ocean of opportunities you never took or wish you had? Same.  Do you have a collection of roles you wish you could partake in but find yourself stuck in the same old grotto? I’ve got twenty. But who cares? Nbd. We’ll find more. More opportunities, more exciting chances, more time to be whoever we want to be, no matter what we’ve been told in the past by grouchy crabs or unsupportive sea gods.

Sweet young Ariel just swims along wanting a new adventure in a land she can’t access.  She somehow falls in love with a dreamboat she never speaks to, and trades her whole life for that. Her struggles are very different from mine (PTL) but her longing for a whole new world is not.

There is a post-graduation culture where everyone is truly faking it til they make it.  And then there’s a Disney culture where we have hundreds of backdrops pre-installed so that even if we’re faking it, we at least have the purple wall behind us.  There is so much stigma around finding the perfect post-college job. And to the person who actually has one of those, Congrats. You’re one-in-a-million.  Happy for you.

But the rest of us muggles have to struggle for a hot second or two.  We have to work part-time, or suffer through more school, or soothe ourselves daily by chanting that this assistant role is just the stepping stone to something better.  That’s all we can do.

I begin thinking the seaweed is greener for everyone else.   I begin slowly telling myself that my experiences and my skills are less than someone else’s. That I am less because I haven’t had 45 incredible internships and an instagram following of 10k+.   It just isn’t true.  We are capable and equipped. We are just having to fight right now to make dreams come true.  When we allow self-pity to take over we become more like Flounder instead of Ariel.

Don’t be such a guppy – go chase your dreams

I had a great plan, but it didn’t work out.   And I will be okay because I know it’s not because I am incapable.  I am more than equipped and ready to take on those roles, but that is not my path right now.   But it’s tough when you follow the girlies who are the successful interns on insta and watch them live your dream everyday.  But no matter how many gadgets & gizmos they have, remember you don’t know their whole story.  Whoever we compare ourselves too, we always compare ourselves to their success not their struggles. Lookin’ around you’d think, sure, she’s got everything, but you have no way of knowing.

So when we wish to be a part of someone else’s world instead of our own, we miss out on our own story.  We may not be thriving right now, but these challenges and moments build us.  They make us stronger and even more capable and prepare us to step into our dream roles fully ready when they arrive.  The fight makes us stronger.  If you feel like you’ve lost your voice screaming at people asking for chances, don’t give up. If you traded away your voice, demand it back.  If flippin your fins doesn’t work, figure out how to get legs (probably don’t ask Ursula though). Don’t let any storm or sea witch stand in your way because eventually you will win.  Have faith in that dream, and let it ignite you and inspire you to keep going.

I am sick of swimming and I’m ready be standing in the sun but right now I have to keep fighting because I know someday I’ll be apart of the world I dream of, and you will too.