Welcome to the Daily Dad podcast, where we provide one lesson every single day to help you with your most important job, being a parent.

I'm Ryan Holiday, and I draw these lessons from ancient philosophy, modern psychology, practical wisdom, and insights from parents just like you all over the world.

Thank you for listening, and we hope this helps.

Why you can't compare yourself to these people.

Have you ever closed a social media app on your phone and felt better about yourself?

No, of course not.

That's the whole point.

You're supposed to be jealous of the people on the beach in Bali.

You're supposed to be anxious about the world after reading the headlines.

You're supposed to feel insecure compared to those parenting influencers who seem

to have everything so perfectly handled.

These apps are designed to make you feel vulnerable, hook you, and sell you stuff.

While that's great for the social media platforms, it's not so great for your family,

and it's definitely not great for your mental health.

Jessica Gross had an insightful piece in the New York Times recently questioning these feelings,

particularly the insecurity that mom fluencers are so good at generating.

Any time you feel guilty about not meeting some insane, unachievable demand,

she says, ask yourself, does this help me improve my relationship with my

children? And does it help my community? If the answer is no to either one, push back. Refuse to feel

the guilt and failure that plague so many of us when we're just trying to raise our family under

this broken system. Instead, use that energy to fuel something different, the possibility of a more

humane and supportive future for our children. Feeling like you suck compared to some parent

...