"Comparison is the thief of Joy" This has always been my favorite quote. I spew it on others with wild abandon, I make others repeat it if they so much as HINT at feeling "less than", shootdang, I even have it printed on a hipster burnout t-shirt! But do I believe it? Do I live it out? Do I make choices based on what others want or expect or do I make them based on seeking Joy just for the sake of Joy? Too often I find myself in a state of fear over being "good enough" or rather NOT being good enough. I see and admire what others are doing, making, saying, teaching, learning, sharing, wearing & creating and am so in awe of the confidence it must take to share that with others. How do they do that? How do you put yourself out there without fear of being judged or ridiculed for thinking you have something worth sharing. The latest beat down I gave myself was over the "31 Days" linky party thing Over @ The Nester... I know right? I REALLY wanted to do it, like REALLY (it's all caps so that proves it!) But then I looked at all the link buttons and I was done for. The BUTTONS...not the actual posts or even the blogs they were attached to, the buttons. That's how pitiful I am, I started comparing and beating myself up over the fact that there was no way "I" could measure up to those amazing buttons! Never mind the honest fact that I did not even have a blog at that point, minor detail. I have serious issues. So this is how I am choosing to join the blog World, by admitting that I too often let comparison steal my joy but that I SO often receive joy from what others are sharing. The goal is to somehow reconcile these two truths in my life. In the mean time go on over and see what some amazing women are sharing this month. & don't you dare compare! The linky party thing