It doesn’t have to be crazy living in big cities.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a short piece about how London feels weird. There, I talked about the fact that big cities drain your energy. They suck you up, chew, and spit out the little that’s left. Living in large cities like London or NYC takes its toll. For most people I’ve encountered, it's never a permanent lifestyle—instead, it’s a period.

Big cities create FOMO: a feeling that no matter how much you do, it’s never enough for some reason. You see people walking dogs in parks — a seemingly innocent and serene activity — and it seems that these people are not “just walking the dog,” they’re “walking the dog to clear their heads so that they can go back to the Important Stuff.” In other words, it feels that every activity of people living in big cities is positioned towards being productive, effective, and more. In turn, this makes you worry about your efficiency and where you sit compared to everyone else.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Because if there’s one thing that’s true about comparing yourself to other people, this is a game in which you’ll always lose.

There will always be someone better than you at something. There’ll always be someone more productive, more beautiful, more able than you are. Big cities and the world's capitals tend to congregate ambitious, driven people. So it’s only natural that you’ll encounter bigger competition. And that’s okay too.