Confession: I'm Jealous of {insert blog name here}

All right, fess up. We all get a little envious of our fellow bloggers and even IRL friends who blog. After reading this IFB article, I'm inspired to sit down and have a face-to-face interview with the ugly green monster.

What gets under my skin (even though it shouldn't) ... and how to fight that feeling:

→ It seems like they have an entire outfit of new pieces every single post.
Not sure if they have a lot of spare change lying around in their house-sized piggy bank, but it's all sparkly new. I almost feel weird wearing my own clothes from high school and incorporating it into outfits without everything being (c/o). It seems like I find every raved item on the blogosphere "meh" until I've seen it 70 times and then some switch in my brain turns on and suddenly I want it too. No matter how ugly or man-repelling.
← Now that I reflect on that, being sponsored up to your eyeballs is nice but at the same time it's easy to lose your sense of self. I'm glad that I still wear my old things and occasionally drop in a new piece.

→ You just started blogging 3 months ago. How do you have 1000 followers and 100k lookbook fans already!?
Ah, the annoying little Google Friend Connect widget. We all look to you for affirmation that we're doing the right thing, that people across the www are listening to us talking to ourselves, that we're likable and popular. So especially when a brand new blogger has a lot of personality and flare, we get pangs of hurt-pride pain and jealousy. Either that or they look like every other popular fashion blogger. Then comes the wave of thoughts of, "am I too short? not skinny enough? is there something weird about my face?" Look at what we're doing to ourselves, people. Some bloggers do have that signature spark - whether it's purple hair, perfectly curated blonde hair, or "that pose." That's what gives them success. That's what makes you pause as you're scrolling through your subscriptions. Most of all you can feel their passion oozing through your screen.
← Remember that feeling way back when you first started, of wanting to blog or comment every single second and put yourself out there because it's fun? When other bloggers who were more famous made you wide-eyed with wonder and inspiration instead of boiling with jealousy? The minute blogging becomes work instead of play (which is the way it feels for many of us, I'm sure) it no longer becomes fun and it becomes another task and we procrastinate and enter this spirally self-inflicted downfall. Pick yourself back up, and chug out a new outfit post, something you would actually wear!


→ I'm not tall, skinny, blonde, a redhead, olive-complexioned, have long perfect hair ... like those popular bloggers.
When I start marking down the physical qualities of bloggers I am envious of, it becomes a list of every known combination to man! This tells me that I choosing to see only the beauty and strengths when I look at others and only defects and insecurities when I look at myself. There is no other me on this planet, and there is no other you, so if we try to stop being everyone else but us we might unveil that signature spark.
← Be comfortable in your own skin, even if it changes. I realize that when I just started out I had reddish/brown hair and circle lenses and ultra-cute panda obsessions, but now my outfits and hair are tailored to more work-appropriate shades and lengths. Which makes me a little ho-hum boring. No one wants to aspire to look like what they already look like, eh? Part of me wonders if I lost my signature spark. I pride myself on being a style chameleon and versatile dresser (skirt as top, sweater as dress, skirt plus top equals dress) and that is one thing that never changed. That and I'm one of the blab-at-you-for-paragraphs style bloggers. There we go: wardrobe mixer and storyteller is my new brand. Take some time and figure out who you've become and how to rebrand that.

→ They're always blowing up your newsfeed with a new post every day ... and you haven't published in 5 days.
I find myself being more jealous when I'm more busy, having time to look at everyone else's new posts and not having the hour to pump one out. I always sigh and wish that I had so much time to blog, but honestly who is the one who decides to catch up on Glee instead of pounding out some photos and html? Me. Yes, it feels like med school is eating up all my time normally reserved for blogging, exploring eateries, hanging out for non-studying purposes, shopping. Then I think to PrettyShinySparkly and how darn inspiring she is, blogging all the way through med school. No pangs of envy there, pure awe.
← If you're on Facebook right now, you could be editing photos or writing your content. Make it a small inspiration photo post and cite your sources! Or compile your recent instagrams into a 1-minute collage. Voila, instant eye-catching content.

→ A $4000 designer bag? Really?
I understand that this is a save-for-life goal for a lot of ladies, but the minute someone's shoulders are decked with something that expensive, I look at my student budget and feel less able to relate to her/his personal style.
← If you like the rest of her/his style, ignore the expensive label and appreciate the outfit as a whole. Think of it as "just another quilted black purse." If you really can't relate anymore, you don't have to keep visiting!

This post killed two birds with one stone - some cathartic self-reflection and pumping out content when I thought it was going to be another week before I "had time to blog." I'd love to hear your thoughts about this! Meanwhile there are three muscle/bone block finals standing between me and winter break. Happy Holidays!

Photo credit: nickjaina.com

Readers, are you jealous/envious of your fellow bloggers sometimes?