Counterpoints to “Comparison is the Thief of Joy”

I’m not sure who first said “Comparison is the thief of joy” and it doesn’t really matter. It’s a pretty good adage. Often times friends of mine who run will seek to diminish their own achievements by comparing themselves with more accomplished, even elite, runners. And I will wheel out this quote for them because my running friends are all pretty awesome folks who smash their goals.

And that leads me to a couple of recent examples where I have found joy in comparison.

Last weekend I ran a half-marathon with (well… slightly behind) a friend who’d been training with me and who finished a few minutes ahead of me. I was so happy to see all the training paying off. Confelicity abounds!

Then later in the week I had a blast from the past, which made me think back to a time when I wouldn’t have even contemplated running a half marathon. Comparing 2025 Pete to Past Pete in this regard was a massive source of joy.