Actually, My Grass is Green Enough

Maybe it’s time we all stop peeking over the fence and water our own grass.

I feel like I was born with gifts as if I could do anything. Growing up in a supportive environment, feeling that I can be the best of the best. But as a child, I didn’t know the world that much.

I forget that there’s always a sky above another sky. As I grew older, I encountered many people and witnessed that they were “bigger” than me. Maybe they are in a phase of life that I perceived as “success.”

As a naive child, I believed that success meant owning a car, having a big house, being able to buy things easily, and traveling abroad. After graduating from college, my definition of success narrowed down a bit — I started seeing it as having freedom in life.

Freedom to use my time as I please, to fully be myself without living up to others’ expectations, and financial freedom in various forms. For real, what a pity…

However, as I grow older, I feel like someone who is never truly satisfied and lacks gratitude. Let’s be real, I have an incredibly supportive family, graduated with honors, and landed a job that aligns with what I’ve always wanted and enjoyed.

Yet, why do I still feel like the grass is greener on the other side?

My toxic trait is perceiving that my surroundings are way more successful than I am. If I write it all down, it might become a list of my envy toward my friends’ achievements.

Some are traveling the world, some are marrying the love of their life, some are buying homes, some are getting promotions at work, some are purchasing their dream cars, and some are earning their master’s degrees.

And yeah, guys (and girls), you are doing great and I’m really happy for you!

Always Greener on the Other Side

“The grass is always greener on the other side” — that’s what people tell me whenever I compare myself to others.

This phrase speaks to me in two different ways. When I feel good, it means that people are doing well in their lives. And when I feel bad, it means that people are doing well in their lives.

As I’ve grown and heard more about people’s stories, I’ve come to realize something important: “My grass is actually green enough.”

Maybe Mom was right, “It’s that damn phone.” With the constant flood of information, we endlessly scroll through stories, feeds, and videos on our smartphones — whether from celebrities, brands, or friends we never talk to anymore.

At first, I feel content with my life, simply relaxing, but somehow, after seeing it all, the thought creeps in: “How are they so successful while I’m just… here?”

The problem might be how I define success—whether it’s something I’ve picked up from my surroundings or what I’ve come to believe over time.

The Cambridge Online Dictionary writes that success is the achievement of desired or hoped-for results. It can take the form of triumph or accomplishment in various areas—personal, professional, or social.

Success is subjective; what it means to me might be completely different for someone else. But we tend to get caught up in measuring it through things like money, popularity, traveling, or even finding inner peace.

It’s just human nature, but what I don’t realize is that this subjectivity will lead me to endless comparison between me and the illusion of success.

Moreover, I have this weird habit of zooming in on what I don’t have while completely ignoring what I do. Perhaps we see greener grass elsewhere because we’re not paying attention to our own.

At the end of the day, the grass looks greener because we’re too busy staring at someone else’s lawn instead of tending our own.

The Grass is Greener where You Water It

I’m pretty sure the tendency to think that the other side has greener grass will never completely go away. Especially with the bloom of social media, it’s like the walls around us have been torn down, flooding our minds with information.

The more we see, the more we feel like our lives aren’t as great as everyone else’s. (But thanks to the internet, I can write this and share it with you!)

And how if maybe it’s not greener; maybe it’s just different?

To deal with this, I’ve been trying to stop looking outward and start looking inward instead. I’ve spent so much time focusing on other people’s grass, but what about mine?

When I took a closer look, I realized that my grass is actually green enough. It’s thriving, well-nourished, and feels as cozy as a carpet stretched across a living room.

Around it, beautiful flowers—dahlias, daffodils, jasmine, and orchids—bloom, attracting bees and butterflies.

But even so, my garden isn’t perfect. There are patches of bare soil, a few scattered pieces of trash, and trees that are growing, but not quite in full bloom yet.

Looking outside will never end, so maybe it’s time to focus on what’s inside and water my own grass.

Because, actually, my grass is green enough.