4th September 2025
Let’s face it: we live in a world that thrives on comparison.
Social media, house that you live in, car that you drive, holidays, job titles, salaries, likes, followers — the list goes on.
From a young age, we’re conditioned to measure our worth against others.
Are we smart enough?
Successful enough? Attractive enough?
The constant benchmarking can leave us feeling inadequate, anxious, and disconnected from our true selves.
Oubaitori offers a radical alternative. It reminds us that we are not in competition with anyone else.
Your journey is yours alone, and it cannot — and should not — be compared to anyone else’s.
Whether you’re a late bloomer or an early achiever, whether your path is linear or full of twists and turns, it’s yours, and it’s beautiful in its own way.
In a world that constantly pushes us to compare, compete, and conform, Oubaitori offers a refreshing perspective on individuality and self-worth and it might just change the way you see yourself — and others — forever.
The word is a combination of the Japanese characters for four distinct spring-blooming trees: cherry (ou), plum (bai), peach (tou), and apricot (ri).
Each tree blossoms in Spring but at its own unique time and pace, and this concept extends to human life, reminding us that everyone follows a different path, has unique strengths, and will achieve personal growth at their own speed.
The core idea of Oubaitori is that, just like flowers that don’t compete with each other in the spring, we should not compare our progress or journey to others.
Humans, like trees, bloom on their own timelines. Their journeys and growth are unique to the individual.
Comparison, therefore, is futile. Your growth journey is never going to match someone else’s. It is yours alone.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy” and he was absolutely right.
The best way to diminish your achievement is to compare it to someone else’s.
There’s an old saying that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. It’s true.
If you stare outward, you will convince yourself that everyone has it better than you,
That everyone’s beating you,
That everyone’s better off than you.
Remember the philosophy of Oubaitori.
Don’t stare outward. Turn inward.
Tend your garden. Sow your seeds. Water your grass.
The grass is greener where you water it.
Stop comparing & stay blessed forever.