Who's got it better than us?

Gratitude disguised as a victory chant....

“Hey Dad, where’s the car?”

“No car today, guys. We’re walking… Grab a basketball: 100 with the right, 100 with the left. Let’s go!”

Down the sidewalk we’d go — Dad in front, calling out:

“Who’s got it better than us?!”

My brother and I, trailing behind, would shout back:

“No-body!”

For years, Jim Harbaugh — now head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers — and his siblings answered that question with the same energetic certainty: “No-body!”

Decades later, Jim’s still asking this question—now, of his own kids and players.

Wait… Isn’t That a Little Arrogant?

Some might read this and think, “Isn’t that teaching kids they’re better than everyone else?”

I guess that depends. Context matters.

Jim’s dad started this call-and-response at a time when the family had very little financially. It wasn’t a brag — it was a reframing tool. Instead of focusing on the fact they didn’t have a car or many of the comforts others took for granted, the chant united them around what they did have: each other, the game, and the moment they were in.

It was gratitude disguised as a victory chant.

More Than a Comparison Game

Jim once explained that anyone can answer “no-body” and be right.

It’s not about scanning the horizon for people doing worse or better — it’s about seeing the richness in your own here-and-now.

When he was a kid, Jim wanted to be a professional baseball player. He had a glove, a ball, a league to play in — and he still didn’t make it.

Meanwhile, there was a kid in the Dominican Republic with none of those advantages who did make the big leagues. You could’ve asked either kid:

“Who’s got it better than us?”

And both could have answered honestly — “No-body!”

The Big Caveat

Let’s be clear: this question isn’t a cure for extreme hardship. It won’t erase abuse, trauma, or dangerous situations.

This is for the moments when comparison steals joy, when you find yourself staring at what others have instead of noticing what’s right in front of you.

It’s a small habit that can quietly rewire your story.

Psychologists call this “reframing.” By shifting the story you tell yourself, you shift your emotional state. Stoics recognize it as amor fati — loving what is, rather than yearning for what isn’t. And if you strip away the chant, what’s left is a simple truth: comparison is optional; appreciation is a choice.

Try This

Close the door. Ask yourself the question out loud — with energy:

“Who’s got it better than us?!”

And then, answer it like you mean it:

“NO-BODY!”

It’s weird. It’s simple. And it works.

Keep Asking,

Kyle