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Remember when the only people you were competing with were your siblings for the last slice of pizza? Simpler times. Now it’s not enough to live your life — you have to perform it. And thanks to social media, there’s a 24/7 scoreboard for who’s “winning.”
Spoiler: It’s never you.
Between TikTok trends that expire faster than your vanilla almond milk in the fridge, and Instagram Reels showing you just how much better everyone else’s summer trip to St Tropez is, we’ve accidentally signed up for this never-ending competition.
- Career Achievement Sprints: “Congrats on your promotion!” Except now, you’re wondering why you’re still in the same position you were in five years ago, while they’re apparently the CEO of a tech company at 27.
- Relationship Relays: Engagement photos, honeymoon videos, baby announcements — posted in perfectly staggered succession, so you can measure exactly how far behind you are in life’s great relay race.
- Parenting Pentathlon: While you’re proud your kid remembered to brush their teeth this morning, someone else’s child is out here speaking Mandarin, playing the cello, and rescuing endangered sea turtles.
And the timelines — oh, the timelines. We have two of them now:
- The One in Your Head: By 30, you’d have it all figured out, right? Right.
- The One on Your Feed: Apparently, everyone else figured it out by 23, and you’re just out here wondering what to make for dinner.
The worst part? Social media is designed to keep you looking over your shoulder. It’s a treadmill you didn’t sign up for, with an incline you can’t turn down.
You can’t “win” because the finish line keeps moving.
Someone will always have a nicer home, a more successful career, or a more luxurious trip on their feed.
But here’s the thing — life isn’t actually a competition unless you decide to play.
The people you think are miles ahead? Half of them are just better at editing their highlighted reel.
The rest are just as confused, tired, and over it as you are… they’re just posting a filtered version. So maybe the real win is logging off for a bit, focusing on your own race, and remembering that no one’s REALLY keeping score but you.
