Comparing worst to best

Do you do this? I know I do. It seems I'm always comparing my worst moments of parenting, eating, dressing, etc. to everyone else's best. Why do we do that to ourselves? Over and over?

I'm sure there's some deep and meaningful reason that involves costly psychoanalysis and probably boils down to low self esteem. (See...there...I just saved myself tons of money and countless hours.)

When I finally pull myself away from my own personal "pity party", I can take a step or two back and look more objectively and sometimes, yes, sometimes I can even remind myself of the little successes I've had and acknowledge that I'm not a total and complete loser.

All the "experts" have tons of advice on how to parent better, how to be a better person, etc. I'll sometimes pull out one of my many self-help books on the topic of my current failure and flip through looking for some divine inspiration to get me back on track. After a chapter or two I usually will come to my senses and realize that I am doing some things right, and start letting up on myself just a little bit.

Then, because usually I have very little time to focus on my own "failures" I have to get back to the usual, whatever that is. Sometimes we have to go backwards in order to go forward. At least I seem to anyways. Although I may never outright congratulate myself on my successes I can at least acknowledge that I'm not a total and complete screw up.