171. Comparison Season: How to Feel Rich, Grounded & Grateful Without Overspending

Feeling behind this holiday season? You’re not alone. In a world full of highlight reels, magic-making pressure, and endless expectations, comparison creeps in fast—and hits hard. In this episode, we unpack why this season triggers so much financial and emotional tension, and how to feel genuinely rich, grounded, and grateful right where you are without spending more or losing your peace. Discover practical (and powerful) ways to shift your perspective, protect your heart, and build a holiday season rooted in clarity, values, and peace.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why comparison hits harder during the holidays—and how to break its hold
• How gratitude shifts tension, reduces overspending, and restores perspective
• The real reason “feeling rich” has more to do with habits and values than income
• Four practical tools to feel grounded and content right where you are
• How to identify your comparison triggers and protect your peace this season

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Transcript

Audio Only - All Participants-17: 0:00

Have you ever looked around during the holidays and suddenly felt behind? Today we're talking about why comparison hits so hard this time of year, and how to feel rich, grounded, and grateful right where you are.

Laura: 0:14

hello and welcome to money and career mastery from overwhelmed to ownership. I'm Laura Sexton, your abundance and legacy coach here to help you navigate the world of money, debt payoff, and career growth with confidence and clarity. In this podcast, we'll tackle the financial and career challenges, holding you back, optimize your income and build the freedom that comes with true ownership. If you're ready to break free from overwhelm, create a budget that aligns with your values and design a legacy that empowers future generations. You're in the right place.

Audio Only - All Participants-17: 0:49

Hey, accelerators, we are officially in what I like to call comparison season. You know what I mean? It's that time of year when every commercial, every Christmas card, every decorated house, every Instagram story makes you look at your own life and think, oh man, I am behind. Am I doing enough? Are my kids missing out on things? Or the classic? Everyone else seems way further ahead than we are. I'm house shopping, so I'm really feeling this, this time of year. And if you've ever felt that you are just not alone today, we're talking about how to feel rich right where you are without increasing your spending stressing out your budget, or losing yourself in the comparison trap. So let's jump in. Comparison hits harder this time of year for three big reasons. One, the highlight reels are everywhere. People are posting their perfect trees, their perfectly staged family photos, their perfectly matching holiday pajamas, and even the cookies they baked from scratch at 11:00 PM And if you're over here trying to figure out how to get dinner on the table or where the kid's shoe went, yeah, you feel it. Just a quick side note off my notes here. I was talking to some of my girlfriends the other night. We had a very early Friendsgiving because one of our very best friends is moving away. I'm so excited for her husband who is getting a huge promotion, which is wonderful and I'm glad he's successful, but also I hate that he's taking my friend away. And we were all talking about the family photos that we're taking for Christmas cards, and one of my friends was saying that her son cannot smile naturally in a picture to save his life. And all of the pictures were looking just really stilted and strange. And she said, the photographer was just such a pro. And she looked at me and she goes, Hey, look at me. Don't smile. Don't smile. Don't smile. Think about a fart. Okay, that's the smile. And then just started clicking a whole bunch of pictures and I mean such a little boy thing to just get the giggles over. But from then on, that photographer had them together when you were looking for somebody to do your family photos. Find someone who understands children. But this is how we get those perfectly staged photos. If she was just taking them by herself, she would not have gotten those smiles and those giggles. You have to get the pictures as they come and know that whatever it is you have going on, it's not gonna look perfect. And maybe you can do the perfect tree. And if you can offer up your services to other moms who would also like a perfect tree, because my tree, it doesn't look like it was. Made to go in a Macy's window. It just doesn't. But you know what my tree does look like? It looks just like my kids have made me ornaments and it looks like our memories and that is worth it. So when you're comparing, guys, I'm not even at that point in my notes. I just got really excited about it. But remember what we're doing this for. Okay. We'll get there. Sorry, off my tangent and back onto my notes here. Money pressure this time of year, it increases, and that's one of the reasons why comparison will hit hard spending. It goes up, the number of events goes up, expectations go way up. But your budget that does not magically go up and when numbers tighten, comparison just gets louder. Third reason, the lie more is better. It gets louder too. More gifts, more decorations, more activities, more magic, but more does not equal meaningful. More doesn't equal better and more doesn't create a legacy. And if your heart is tired and your bank account is tired, that comparison can really quickly turn into shame. Last week when I signed off the app episode, I accidentally said that today's episode would be thankful and not tense. But here's the beautiful part. That phrase actually does belong inside of this conversation, because comparison com, the comparison thrives in tension. The tension between what we have and what we feel we should have, the tension between our reality and someone else's highlight reel. The tension between our limits and someone else's success. Comparison creates tension, but gratitude breaks it. Comparison says everyone else has more than me. And gratitude says, well, I have what matters. Comparison says we're behind and gratitude says we're building. Comparison. Says, oh, you'll never measure up. And gratitude says, we're okay. We're provided for. That's why we're weaving these themes together. Comparison, tension, gratitude, peace. This is how you get through the holidays. Feeling grounded rather than drained. And if you're listening to this episode and you're new here, welcome. I'm so excited to have you. Please jump back and listen to our episode last week on the gratitude equation. That is not something that you want to miss. The real problem about comparison is that it steals both joy and wisdom. Comparison doesn't just hurt your feelings, it hurts your money too. Comparison's going to create a false sense of urgency. You start buying things because other people have them, not because your values say yes. Have you ever heard the phrase, we buy things we don't want with money. We don't have to impress people, we don't even like. It's true. You don't even like those people that you're trying to show up for. You don't like them because you think they're all haughty and they are always showing off their stuff and you don't like them, but you wanna keep up with them, don't you? That's not wisdom. Comparison will lead to overspending. You buy to catch up or to keep pace with imaginary expectations. Where are your expectations? Comparison will distort your reality. When you're comparing, you forget your progress, you forget your goals, and you forget that your path is just different. Comparison's, sneaky. It's emotional, it's not logical. And when your emotions start driving your money, well that's never a good kind of driving. You've gotta get back behind the wheel. You have to take charge. Your emotions while they are showing you something that is very important, they're an alarm bell inside your body. They are a compass to guide you towards what you need or what is good for you, and sometimes away from what is bad for you. But sometimes your emotions are liars, and sometimes those liars are just trying to keep you safe. We have to look at our body and go, thank you for trying to keep me safe. I'm going to take the reins now and I'm going to do what's wise and best for my family. So here's the good news. We're talking about our feelings. You see, feeling rich has almost nothing to do with the numbers. It's funny. People talk about rich and wealth and they compare the two. To me, when I think about what a rich life is, I think it's full and vibrant and flavorful. I want it to be rich in memories. I want the seasonings of life to be full effect. See, feeling rich has everything to do with your perspective, your habits, your values, and the story that you tell yourself. So here are four practical ways to feel rich, right where you are. Go ahead and name what you have that money can't buy. You name it off. Peace Health Kids who laugh at the dinner table sometimes. They get a little wild when we go out to eat'cause it's such a treat for them. But man, sometimes they tell me the best stories when we're sitting at the table and we're laughing together. A spouse who shows up for you, if you are blessed with this, you are rich indeed. Your faith, your purpose, a home that holds your memories, skills that earn an income, a mind that is capable of change. These are riches. When you name them, you can feel them. Identify your comparison triggers. Go ahead and ask yourself, what do I compare myself to? Who do I compare myself to? What platforms make me feel small? And if you you need to take an Instagram break right now, I want to go ahead and tell you do it. If something big happens in the world, someone will call you and tell you, go ahead and turn Instagram off. Turn TikTok off. Let it go. Let it go and come back when you are not feeling those comparison triggers. What situation makes you overspend? Is it a holiday party that you weren't planning on? Maybe we don't go what? Expectations make me tense. Sometimes it's those familial obligations. In this year, we just need to say no. Your awareness will break. Your comparison. Spell, create for yourself a Values First filter for your holiday spending. This is a big, big one, my friend. Before any purchase. Especially one that isn't already listed out on your to buy for who list, where you list out, I'm going to buy this many presents for this many people and then I'm not spending a dollar more even with those, but especially for anything that's outside of that list, you need to ask yourself, does this reflect our values as a family or just someone else's expectations? Your values are connection, generosity, and simplicity. Your spending should come from those values, not from comparing yourself to someone else. Go ahead and practice some micro gratitude. Micro gratitude is the simple act of noticing one small good thing in real time. It can be the warmth of coffee. A moment of quiet before the kids wake up. A silly toddler comment, a really great parking spot. I say thank you to God. Every time the parking spot that's right outside my door on the street is open. I am praising God in advance for a house with a garage, but for right now, it's street parking. And when I get a close parking spot, I out loud. Praise the Lord for that. And I let the kids hear it too. Is your micro gratitude for clean laundry, a paycheck, a sunset, a hug, a warm blanket, one extra debt payment made, or one tiny step towards your next goal. A micro gratitude rewires your brain. Neuroscience actually backs this up. Where your attention goes, your emotions will float, and gratitude always grows. I will say, just very quickly, somebody mentioned to me the other day that there's always a sunset somewhere in the world. cause I, I made a comment about how I just love the sunset and I think it's one of the most beautiful things if you take a second to just look at it and admire it and enjoy it. It is never the same. It's never been the same. And my friend said, isn't it funny how God makes a different sunset every single night? And then he said, you know what I just realized? He never stops painting the sunset and waiting until tomorrow. He's constantly continually painting a sunset everywhere around the world for somebody to enjoy. That just really struck me. I wanna ground this episode now that I'm talking about God painting sunsets into something much deeper. You see, comparison tells you that you're lacking. Where gratitude reminds you that you were provided for in the book of Philippians chapter four, verses 11 through 13. We learn about the secret of being content in any and every situation, not because the circumstances are perfect, but because peace doesn't come from our circumstances. Peace comes from the presence of God. Philippians four 13 is one of those verses that is almost ubiquitous. People see it all the time. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That verse is about comparison. That verse is about being grateful. No matter your circumstances, whether you have great gain or great lack, it's not about our strength or skill. It's about about our ability to anchor ourselves into God, so that comparison loses its power. When you root your worth in him, you stop trying to prove anything to anyone else you breathe again. So here's the truth. You don't need more stuff to feel rich. You just need clarity. You need more clarity, more gratitude, more alignment with what actually matters, and more peace in your home, in your heart. And you're already on that path. Comparison may show up this season. It doesn't get the final say. Peace does. Gratitude does. Wisdom does and ownership does. You are doing better than you think and feeling rich that starts long before the bank account catches up. If this episode hit home and you want support building a holiday season that feels peaceful, not pressured, I'd love to help you build a plan that actually works for your life. You can schedule a clarity call on my website. Accelerate your legacy.com/clarity. Call all one word. Next week we're going to talk about boundaries and budgets and how to keep the holiday simple. It's going to give you so much breathing room, but until then, take a deep breath Comparison. Doesn't get to run the show anymore. You are enough where life is enough and you are richer than you think. Accelerators go out and make a difference.

Laura: 14:59

thank you for spending time with us today on Money and Career Mastery from Overwhelm to Ownership. Remember, your legacy isn't just about financial freedom. It's about living with purpose, taking action, and building a foundation that lasts for generations. Don't just listen, implement what you've learned and share it with someone who could use a financial or career breakthrough. If you found value in today's episode, help us grow by rating, reviewing, and sharing the podcast. I'll be back next week with more strategies to help you master your money and career. Until then take ownership of your future and build your legacy with intention.