I’m going to start this with allegory and bring it back around to practical application.

My neighbor IRL legitimately has greener grass than I do. She also has 4 dogs who poop and fertilize the lawn everyday. She can’t walk into her yard without shoes on or without watching where she steps. She has a toddler who isn’t allowed to play in her backyard because of the dog poop. I may see her greener grass and want greener grass, it’s fine to want greener grass. But once I stop and look at why she has greener grass and what not only her, but her family has to sacrifice to get that greener grass, I realize it’s not worth it to me. I like being able to grill outside, I like being able to walk barefoot, I like not worrying about what’s in my lawn. Would I like it to be greener? Sure, but not at the cost of losing the very thing that I want.

The way things are perceived doesn’t reveal what it actually took to get those results. Especially in the social media age where everything is a cherry picked version of reality. You are never getting the full story in today’s social media environment, and with the prevalence of filters and AI what tiny story you are getting might straight up be a lie.

The best advice I can give is to look at the greener field, and actually talk to people who have a greener field. Don’t just follow them on social media or watch videos about it, talk to them. It’s much harder to lie face to face than it is on a video. If you can, try it for a week, then ask yourself, would I still want to do this when life happens and things aren’t perfect. Would I want to do this for the next 5, 10, 20 years? Once you have an idea of what sacrifices it will take to get the greener field, then and only then can you ask yourself is it worth it? It may be, in which case, attack it with gusto. It may not, in which case, fantasizing is fun, but that’s all it is, a fantasy.

Good luck.