I imagined going to my 10 year high school reunion. Are some people famous? Do some people have families? I was tempted to compare myself to others, but I realized that it doesn’t matter. No matter where our lives took us, we all ended up in the same place: at the reunion.

Do You Feel Behind?

I have the fortune of being around some really amazing and talented people on a regular basis (Spazzkid, Met Biddler, The Nimoys, Julia Kuo, and Ryan Pak to name a few). Seeing the stuff that these guys are doing, I get tempted to feel a little behind (even though they are doing something completely different from my life).

When I was younger, being surrounded by such awesome people pushed me to be even better (I used to take summer school just to meet the requirements to be in their classes). What happens when these people begin to head in a different direction than you? Do you follow them? Do you lose your motivation? Do you begin to feel lost? There was a time not to long ago when I felt that way.

Do You Feel Ahead?

Maybe you like to feel ahead of some people. What does it mean to be ahead? Coincidentally, Tia Mowry sat behind me today at lunch when I went to get sushi on Ventura Blvd (at least I think it was her and her husband). She is definitely a bazillion times more recognizable than me. Regardless, there we were, both getting sushi. For a time, our lives converged. At that moment, can you say that either was ahead?

Why It Doesn’t Matter

Lives converge and diverge. Sometimes we are in the same place as another and other times we are in different places. When lives converge, we are in the same place. We cannot say that one is better because, for a time, we are sharing a life as we interact with one another. When we are apart, we are in different places. Being separated, we cannot compete with one another. Either way, comparing your life to another does not matter.

So relax. Enjoy your life, no matter where you are.