Stop Comparing Glasses: Why Your Cup Feels Empty 🫗

Comparison is basically a competitive sport in my chinese culture 😂 Like… how do you even know you’re doing okay in life if you’re not quietly (or loudly) measuring yourself against your cousins, neighbours or someone in your parents’ WeChat articles? It’s not even optional. If you don’t compare yourself, don’t worry—someone else will happily do it for you 🙃 It turns into this weird, unspoken leaderboard where nobody knows the rules, but somehow everyone feels like they’re either winning or losing.

You Are "Different" 🫤

And then there’s the money mindset you grow up with. When you’re constantly told you’re “poor,” you start to wonder—what does that even mean? Because as a kid, I didn’t feel poor. I had food, I had a roof, I had everything I needed. But then comparison enters the chat 💀

I remember the first time it really hit me—when friends came over. Our fridge? Full of leftovers. Like, actual good food. But in my mind, that wasn’t “guest-worthy.” No fancy snacks, no name brand cookies, no branded juice boxes or cheesestring. Just… real food. Meanwhile, when I went to my friends’ houses? It was like I walked into Costco samples on steroids. Snacks everywhere. 🤤Options. Variety. Presentation! And I was like… oh. Is this what “normal” looks like?

Summer was another reminder. My friends would be talking about vacations—flights, resorts, road trips, camps 🌴✈️ And I’d just be there like… “yeah I’m… staying home 😀 maybe getting a part-time job… maybe summer school…” because those were the options that either didn’t cost money or actually made some. Not exactly the same. 🥲

Then came the classic question: “What do your parents do?” And somehow, that question felt heavier than it should’ve. Saying they worked in a restaurant felt… embarrassing? Which is wild, looking back. Not some Gordon Ramsay, Michelin-star situation—just your everyday food court hustle. 🥡 Meanwhile, my friends’ parents had titles that sounded impressive: firefighter, accountant, engineer… words that felt shiny and imp😢ortant. And without anyone explicitly saying it, I internalized this idea that my family and I were somehow… less.

Rewriting the Story ✍️

So yeah, comparison didn’t just happen—it shaped how I saw myself.

But here’s where my perspective shifted.

We always hear that question: is the glass half empty or half full? Honestly? I think that question is kind of limiting. I’d rather say—the glass can be filled 💧

That’s not just blind optimism or toxic positivity. It’s about possibility. It’s about recognizing that even if you didn’t start with a full glass (or honestly, even if someone knocked it over 😅), you still have some control. You can refill it. Maybe not all at once, maybe not as fast as you want—but you can.

My dad used to say, “If there are houses for sale, that means someone is buying them—why can’t it be you?” And that stuck with me. Because he’s right. Even in tough markets, tough economies, or tough personal seasons, things are still happening. Opportunities still exist. They’re just not always obvious. 🪴

One Drop at a Time🫗

Getting laid off? Bad investment? Life throwing you a random plot twist? Yeah, it sucks. No sugarcoating that. But it’s not the end of your story—it’s just the part where things get interesting. Every main character needs a backstory, right? 😌

The people who win (eventually) aren’t the ones who never spill their glass. They’re the ones who keep refilling it—even when it feels slow, even when it’s frustrating, even when they’re doing it one tiny drop at a time.

And honestly, that’s exactly how investing works too. It’s not about one big flashy moment—it’s the small, consistent actions. The boring stuff. The discipline. Drop by drop, it adds up into something meaningful.

So instead of obsessing over what everyone else’s glass looks like—how full it is, how fancy it is, how filtered it looks on Instagramor TikTok —focus on yours. Fill your own cup 🥤 Don’t try to juggle three other people’s mugs at the same time (trust me, that’s how everything spills).

You’ll get there. Not overnight. Not perfectly. But steadily.

One drop at a time 💧