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November 27, 2025 15 mins

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

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Audio Only - All Participa (00:00):
Have you ever looked around during
the holidays and suddenly feltbehind?
Today we're talking about whycomparison hits so hard this
time of year, and how to feelrich, grounded, and grateful
right where you are.

Laura (00:14):
hello and welcome to money and career mastery from
overwhelmed to ownership.
I'm Laura Sexton, your abundanceand 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 tacklethe financial and career
challenges, holding you back,optimize your income and build

(00:34):
the freedom that comes with trueownership.
If you're ready to break freefrom overwhelm, create a budget
that aligns with your values anddesign a legacy that empowers
future generations.
You're in the right place.

Audio Only - All Participa (00:49):
Hey, accelerators, we are officially
in what I like to callcomparison season.
You know what I mean?
It's that time of year whenevery commercial, every
Christmas card, every decoratedhouse, every Instagram story
makes you look at your own lifeand think, oh man, I am behind.

(01:09):
Am I doing enough?
Are my kids missing out onthings?
Or the classic?
Everyone else seems way furtherahead than we are.
I'm house shopping, so I'mreally feeling this, this time
of year.
And if you've ever felt that youare just not alone today, we're
talking about how to feel richright where you are without
increasing your spendingstressing out your budget, or

(01:31):
losing yourself in thecomparison trap.
So let's jump in.
Comparison hits harder this timeof year for three big reasons.
One, the highlight reels areeverywhere.
People are posting their perfecttrees, their perfectly staged
family photos, their perfectlymatching holiday pajamas, and
even the cookies they baked fromscratch at 11:00 PM And if

(01:55):
you're over here trying tofigure out how to get dinner on
the table or where the kid'sshoe went, yeah, you feel it.
Just a quick side note off mynotes here.
I was talking to some of mygirlfriends the other night.
We had a very earlyFriendsgiving because one of our
very best friends is movingaway.
I'm so excited for her husbandwho is getting a huge promotion,

(02:18):
which is wonderful and I'm gladhe's successful, but also I hate
that he's taking my friend away.
And we were all talking aboutthe family photos that we're
taking for Christmas cards, andone of my friends was saying
that her son cannot smilenaturally in a picture to save
his life.
And all of the pictures werelooking just really stilted and

(02:41):
strange.
And she said, the photographerwas just such a pro.
And she looked at me and shegoes, 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 awhole bunch of pictures and I
mean such a little boy thing tojust get the giggles over.
But from then on, thatphotographer had them together

(03:03):
when you were looking forsomebody to do your family
photos.
Find someone who understandschildren.
But this is how we get thoseperfectly staged photos.
If she was just taking them byherself, she would not have
gotten those smiles and thosegiggles.
You have to get the pictures asthey come and know that whatever
it is you have going on, it'snot gonna look perfect.
And maybe you can do the perfecttree.

(03:24):
And if you can offer up yourservices 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 doeslook like?
It looks just like my kids havemade me ornaments and it looks

(03:45):
like our memories and that isworth it.
So when you're comparing, guys,I'm not even at that point in my
notes.
I just got really excited aboutit.
But remember what we're doingthis for.
Okay.
We'll get there.
Sorry, off my tangent and backonto my notes here.
Money pressure this time ofyear, it increases, and that's

(04:06):
one of the reasons whycomparison will hit hard
spending.
It goes up, the number of eventsgoes up, expectations go way up.
But your budget that does notmagically go up and when numbers
tighten, comparison just getslouder.
Third reason, the lie more isbetter.
It gets louder too.
More gifts, more decorations,more activities, more magic, but

(04:30):
more does not equal meaningful.
More doesn't equal better andmore doesn't create a legacy.
And if your heart is tired andyour bank account is tired, that
comparison can really quicklyturn into shame.
Last week when I signed off theapp episode, I accidentally said
that today's episode would bethankful and not tense.

(04:52):
But here's the beautiful part.
That phrase actually does belonginside of this conversation,
because comparison com, thecomparison thrives in tension.
The tension between what we haveand what we feel we should have,
the tension between our realityand someone else's highlight
reel.
The tension between our limitsand someone else's success.

(05:13):
Comparison creates tension, butgratitude breaks it.
Comparison says everyone elsehas more than me.
And gratitude says, well, I havewhat matters.
Comparison says we're behind andgratitude says we're building.
Comparison.
Says, oh, you'll never measureup.

(05:34):
And gratitude says, we're okay.
We're provided for.
That's why we're weaving thesethemes together.
Comparison, tension, gratitude,peace.
This is how you get through theholidays.
Feeling grounded rather thandrained.
And if you're listening to thisepisode and you're new here,
welcome.
I'm so excited to have you.
Please jump back and listen toour episode last week on the

(05:58):
gratitude equation.
That is not something that youwant to miss.
The real problem aboutcomparison is that it steals
both joy and wisdom.
Comparison doesn't just hurtyour feelings, it hurts your
money too.
Comparison's going to create afalse sense of urgency.
You start buying things becauseother people have them, not

(06:19):
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 peoplethat you're trying to show up
for.
You don't like them because youthink they're all haughty and
they are always showing offtheir stuff and you don't like
them, but you wanna keep up withthem, don't you?

(06:40):
That's not wisdom.
Comparison will lead tooverspending.
You buy to catch up or to keeppace with imaginary
expectations.
Where are your expectations?
Comparison will distort yourreality.
When you're comparing, youforget your progress, you forget
your goals, and you forget thatyour path is just different.

(07:03):
Comparison's, sneaky.
It's emotional, it's notlogical.
And when your emotions startdriving your money, well that's
never a good kind of driving.
You've gotta get back behind thewheel.
You have to take charge.
Your emotions while they areshowing you something that is
very important, they're an alarmbell inside your body.

(07:24):
They are a compass to guide youtowards what you need or what is
good for you, and sometimes awayfrom what is bad for you.
But sometimes your emotions areliars, and sometimes those liars
are just trying to keep yousafe.
We have to look at our body andgo, thank you for trying to keep
me safe.
I'm going to take the reins nowand I'm going to do what's wise

(07:47):
and best for my family.
So here's the good news.
We're talking about ourfeelings.
You see, feeling rich has almostnothing to do with the numbers.
It's funny.
People talk about rich andwealth and they compare the two.
To me, when I think about what arich life is, I think it's full

(08:08):
and vibrant and flavorful.
I want it to be rich inmemories.
I want the seasonings of life tobe full effect.
See, feeling rich has everythingto do with your perspective,
your habits, your values, andthe story that you tell
yourself.
So here are four practical waysto feel rich, right where you

(08:30):
are.
Go ahead and name what you havethat money can't buy.
You name it off.
Peace Health Kids who laugh atthe dinner table sometimes.
They get a little wild when wego out to eat'cause it's such a
treat for them.
But man, sometimes they tell methe best stories when we're
sitting at the table and we'relaughing together.
A spouse who shows up for you,if you are blessed with this,

(08:53):
you are rich indeed.
Your faith, your purpose, a homethat holds your memories, skills
that earn an income, a mind thatis capable of change.
These are riches.
When you name them, you can feelthem.
Identify your comparisontriggers.
Go ahead and ask yourself, whatdo I compare myself to?

(09:15):
Who do I compare myself to?
What platforms make me feelsmall?
And if you you need to take anInstagram break right now, I
want to go ahead and tell you doit.
If something big happens in theworld, someone will call you and
tell you, go ahead and turnInstagram off.
Turn TikTok off.
Let it go.
Let it go and come back when youare not feeling those comparison

(09:39):
triggers.
What situation makes youoverspend?
Is it a holiday party that youweren't planning on?
Maybe we don't go what?
Expectations make me tense.
Sometimes it's those familialobligations.
In this year, we just need tosay no.
Your awareness will break.

(10:00):
Your comparison.
Spell, create for yourself aValues First filter for your
holiday spending.
This is a big, big one, myfriend.
Before any purchase.
Especially one that isn'talready listed out on your to
buy for who list, where you listout, I'm going to buy this many
presents for this many peopleand then I'm not spending a

(10:20):
dollar more even with those, butespecially for anything that's
outside of that list, you needto ask yourself, does this
reflect our values as a familyor just someone else's
expectations?
Your values are connection,generosity, and simplicity.
Your spending should come fromthose values, not from comparing

(10:41):
yourself to someone else.
Go ahead and practice some microgratitude.
Micro gratitude is the simpleact of noticing one small good
thing in real time.
It can be the warmth of coffee.
A moment of quiet before thekids wake up.
A silly toddler comment, areally great parking spot.
I say thank you to God.
Every time the parking spotthat's right outside my door on

(11:06):
the street is open.
I am praising God in advance fora house with a garage, but for
right now, it's street parking.
And when I get a close parkingspot, I out loud.
Praise the Lord for that.
And I let the kids hear it too.
Is your micro gratitude forclean laundry, a paycheck, a

(11:27):
sunset, a hug, a warm blanket,one extra debt payment made, or
one tiny step towards your nextgoal.
A micro gratitude rewires yourbrain.
Neuroscience actually backs thisup.
Where your attention goes, youremotions will float, and
gratitude always grows.

(11:48):
I will say, just very quickly,somebody mentioned to me the
other day that there's always asunset somewhere in the world.
cause I, I made a comment abouthow I just love the sunset and I
think it's one of the mostbeautiful things if you take a
second to just look at it andadmire it and enjoy it.
It is never the same.

(12:08):
It's never been the same.
And my friend said, isn't itfunny how God makes a different
sunset every single night?
And then he said, you know whatI just realized?
He never stops painting thesunset and waiting until
tomorrow.
He's constantly continuallypainting a sunset everywhere

(12:31):
around the world for somebody toenjoy.
That just really struck me.
I wanna ground this episode nowthat I'm talking about God
painting sunsets into somethingmuch deeper.
You see, comparison tells youthat you're lacking.
Where gratitude reminds you thatyou were provided for in the
book of Philippians chapterfour, verses 11 through 13.

(12:52):
We learn about the secret ofbeing content in any and every
situation, not because thecircumstances are perfect, but
because peace doesn't come fromour circumstances.
Peace comes from the presence ofGod.
Philippians four 13 is one ofthose verses that is almost
ubiquitous.
People see it all the time.
I can do all things throughChrist who strengthens me.

(13:14):
That verse is about comparison.
That verse is about beinggrateful.
No matter your circumstances,whether you have great gain or
great lack, it's not about ourstrength or skill.
It's about about our ability toanchor ourselves into God, so

(13:35):
that comparison loses its power.
When you root your worth in him,you stop trying to prove
anything to anyone else youbreathe again.
So here's the truth.
You don't need more stuff tofeel rich.
You just need clarity.
You need more clarity, moregratitude, more alignment with
what actually matters, and morepeace in your home, in your

(13:55):
heart.
And you're already on that path.
Comparison may show up thisseason.
It doesn't get the final say.
Peace does.
Gratitude does.
Wisdom does and ownership does.
You are doing better than youthink and feeling rich that
starts long before the bankaccount catches up.
If this episode hit home and youwant support building a holiday

(14:19):
season that feels peaceful, notpressured, I'd love to help you
build a plan that actually worksfor your life.
You can schedule a clarity callon my website.
Accelerate yourlegacy.com/clarity.
Call all one word.
Next week we're going to talkabout boundaries and budgets and
how to keep the holiday simple.
It's going to give you so muchbreathing room, but until then,

(14:43):
take a deep breath Comparison.
Doesn't get to run the showanymore.
You are enough where life isenough and you are richer than
you think.
Accelerators go out and make adifference.

Laura (14:59):
thank you for spending time with us today on Money and
Career Mastery from Overwhelm toOwnership.
Remember, your legacy isn't justabout financial freedom.
It's about living with purpose,taking action, and building a
foundation that lasts forgenerations.
Don't just listen, implementwhat you've learned and share it
with someone who could use afinancial or career
breakthrough.

(15:19):
If you found value in today'sepisode, help us grow by rating,
reviewing, and sharing thepodcast.
I'll be back next week with morestrategies to help you master
your money and career.
Until then take ownership ofyour future and build your
legacy with intention.
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