My friend called me last week in tears. She just saw her ex-boyfriend enjoying dinner with another woman. She said this woman was younger, prettier and more physically fit than she perceived herself to be. At that moment, she started to compare herself to this unknown woman and came to the conclusion that she didn’t measure up. As I listened to her, it amazed me how quickly she put herself down when confronted with an obstacle.

But aren’t we all guilty of doing that? How many times have we assumed we weren’t good enough? Think about it. How many times have we talked ourselves out of a job because the other candidates seemed more experienced? How many times have we turned down a trip to the beach because we didn’t think our bodies were nice enough? How about the time when we said school wasn’t for us because the other students were smarter?

When will it be time for us to stop comparing and start conquering? Last I heard, God’s DNA was in us and we’re all wonderfully and beautifully made. We need to stop thinking that we’re just average. We come from a royalty and there’s nothing average about that.

In the book of Judges, Gideon is described as a fearless, courageous man. But Gideon didn’t believe God. He looked at his circumstances and came to the conclusion that he didn’t measure up. Gideon believed that he was too weak, too poor and too insecure. But God saw him differently. In God’s eyes, Gideon was strong, confident and a conqueror.
Here are some things that help me when I’m feeling less than enough:

1.Recognize that there’s more good than bad
Believe it or not, your good qualities outrank the ones that you don’t like. So, try focusing on what you do like about yourself and replace your negative thoughts with positive ones. Our thoughts influence our actions. When you start re-framing thoughts for the better, you’re putting words behind your faith.

2.Be around loved ones
Just like my friend, I’m sure many of you turn to a loved one when you’re down. Being around friends and family can be very uplifting and restore positive emotions. They can help point out your good stuff and cast away the negative, disruptive thoughts.

3.Focus on progress rather than perfection
One challenge that brings me down is the need to ‘get it right.’ I often strive for perfection and success, and when I fall short, I feel worthless and less than. But what I’ve come to realize is that striving for perfection and being goal-oriented is an accomplishment not a measurement. So instead of beating myself up when I stumble, I work on rewarding myself for the effort. I recognize that I may not be where I want to be, but making progress sure feels good.

So, are we going to believe what we see, what we think or what our circumstances look like? Or are we going to believe in what God says and how God sees us? What choice will you make?