Stop Comparing Yourself to People Online.

A common misconception from most.

Thinking you know someone because of their Instagram stories.

Thinking you're friends with someone because you follow each other on social media.

Thinking you know a persons struggles because they wrote a mini caption about their day and you liked the post.

The harsh truth? You don't know them at all.

You have no idea what this person is struggling with.

You have no idea what battle is going on in this persons mind.

You don't know if they cried today, or laughed.

You just know what they posted.

They posted a story of their location, their cat, their new car. That's what you know.

That they're at a cafe, they have a cat, and they got a new car.

You see their faces every day.

You watch their stories, their routines, their travels.

You listen to their advice.

You might even feel like you know their personality, their humor, their energy.

But you don’t know them.

You know their content.

You know the pieces they decided were worthy of being shown to you.

The rest, the messy, quiet, real parts, they keep for themselves.

It's so easy to judge a persons lifestyle because you've seen a few things about them online.

We forget grace.

We forget to make excuses for others.

We forget to pardon their wrongs.

We turn a blind eye to our own faults, but judge others so quickly.

And yet, somehow, we treat strangers online like old friends. imitate them, envy them, and even compete with them. But when you step back, it’s wild how much emotional energy we give to people who have no idea we exist.

You don’t know how they treat their family. You don’t know how they speak when the camera’s off. You don’t know if they’re at peace when the phone goes dark. All you know is what they want you to see.

And it’s not your fault. That’s how social media is designed.

You don’t know that influencer’s marriage just because they posted matching outfits and vacation pictures.

You don’t know that celebrity’s mental state just because they smiled in an interview.

What you’re seeing is a product a carefully edited, curated, and monetized image of what they want you to believe.

But here’s what you do know

You know your own life.

You know your struggles

Your blessings, your growth.

You know what makes you happy and what drains you.

You know what kind of person you want to become.

Yet instead of nurturing that, we pour all our attention into lives that aren’t ours.

We lose hours scrolling through people we’ll never meet, while neglecting the people sitting right next to us.

And that’s the dangerous part.

We start comparing our entire reality to someone else’s highlight reel.

We think their life must be perfect because we haven’t seen them cry. We think they’re fulfilled because they look confident.

We think they have it all together, when in truth, they might be more lost than we are.

Somewhere along the way, the internet made it easy to dehumanize others.

To take something small and twist it into something ugly.

To cancel, to gossip, to dissect people who are just trying to figure life out like everyone else.

And yet, how often do we stop and ask ourselves would I want someone to speak about me this way?

Would I want to be judged by a moment that didn’t represent my whole self?

You try so hard to be like your favorite celebrity, copying their style, their habits, their way of speaking meanwhile your mother is trying to teach you how to be a good person every single day.

She’s teaching you patience when she tells you to lower your tone.

She’s teaching you kindness when she shares her food before eating.

She’s teaching you discipline when she tells you to pray or study.

But instead, we look past the real-life examples of character and grace in front of us and chase people who don’t even know we exist.

You aim to make as much money as that influencer online, while your teacher is trying to teach you how to become a business owner.

How to build something of your own

How to think critically, how to stand on your own two feet.

You don’t need to copy their lifestyle, you need to create your own.

Success isn’t a one-size-fits-all template. What’s meant for you will never miss you. But when your focus is on being someone else, you lose the chance to find out who you actually are.

Social media thrives on illusion.

It rewards the loudest voices, not the wisest ones.

It highlights the polished, not the honest.

It makes you think everyone’s living their best life while you’re stuck in the same place, but you’re not.

You’re just living real life.

The kind without filters.

The kind where progress looks like trying again after failing.

The kind where peace doesn’t come from likes but from prayer, effort, and patience.

Here’s the thing no one tells you, the moment you stop trying to live someone else’s story, your own life starts to feel a lot more peaceful.

You stop rushing.

You stop competing.

You start living.

You realize your worth isn’t in how aesthetically pleasing your feed looks or how quickly you can “make it.” It’s in how you treat people.

How you speak when no one’s watching.

How you show up for yourself when things get hard.

The truth is, we’re surrounded by people who are trying to teach us real lessons, our mothers, fathers, teachers, even friends, but we ignore them because they don’t have a blue checkmark.

We scroll right past wisdom because it doesn’t come wrapped in a viral clip or a trending sound. We say we want authenticity, but when we see it, we scroll away because it’s not “entertaining” enough.

If you really want to grow, stop obsessing over other people’s timelines.

Put that energy back into yourself.

Learn how to pray with focus.

Learn how to manage your money.

Learn how to communicate

How to listen

How to be patient.

Those things will get you further than any influencer’s “morning routine” ever will.

Social media is designed to make you want more.

More things

More validation

More attention

But it’ll never tell you when enough is enough.

It’ll never remind you that comparison kills joy. That your real life, the one no one sees, is still beautiful.

When you start focusing inward, life becomes slower, but richer. You stop craving approval and start chasing purpose. You begin to notice that your mother’s gentle reminders are worth more than a millionaire’s advice. That your teacher’s lessons are more valuable than any viral “how to get rich” thread. That the people who love you offline are the ones who are shaping the best parts of you.

Social media is a lie when it tells you you’re not enough. You are. You don’t need to have it all figured out by 25. You don’t need the perfect aesthetic or constant wins. You just need to be real with yourself first.

So close the app for a while. Sit with your thoughts. Look around at the life that’s actually yours. There’s so much to learn, so much to grow into, and none of it requires pretending to be someone else.

Because at the end of the day, being like them won’t make you happier. But becoming the best version of yourself? That will.