Comparing yourself to others is generally not a good idea. But if we take this as some kind of rule, sometimes every rule has its exceptions. Surprisingly, comparing can be useful to us sometimes, that's why it's important how to make the most of it. See more in the following lines.
It can motivate you
Sometimes comparing ourselves to another person can be helpful, nudging us to become more active, to initiate a certain kind of change. Of course, it is important to take the good examples, to look into their good habits.
This can be especially useful if we want to change our diet to a he althier one, find a better job to earn more, upgrade our skills, etc.n. But still remember that there is a difference between being inspired by someone and imitating them. There are no benefits from the second.
Nothing is free
In striving to be better at everything, we tend to take ordinary things for granted. Our daily lives are so dynamic that we don't notice the little things that actually make our lives wonderful - our favorite coffee, our favorite dessert, time with our loved ones, sunsets, etc.
We know they are a part of our lives and we forget that we are actually very lucky, because looking at someone who doesn't have what we have, we remind ourselves that nothing is free and we should be grateful every day for the good.
Sometimes it helps to solve our problems
Perhaps there is no person who does not compare his own complicated situation with someone else's, some time ago. If we have a case to solve and we know that an acquaintance, a close colleague of ours has already gone through something like this, we could hear his point of view and borrow some idea that would be useful to us.
Less self-pity
There is probably no person who has not felt sorry for himself at some point in his life, and some even do it too often. There are a number of examples of this, which can relate to what kind of car you and your neighbor drive, your colleague has nicer clothes than yours or a more attractive figure, you choose cheaper holidays as opposed to an acquaintance of yours who takes a luxury holiday, thinking life is unfair to you, etc
According to a study conducted by Concordia University, comparing our regrets to those of other people can actually provoke positive emotions, especially if the other person's regrets turn out to be more negative than yours. Or you want new red shoes because you have 20 pairs in different colors, while your friend can't afford to buy a whole new pair of shoes for the season.
