Thursday, December 19, 2013

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

This blog is inspired by the following quote:

“Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself to you a year ago”
 
- Anonymous


You know when you read something and it just hits you like a ton of bricks? The second I saw this quote, it deeply rooted itself inside of my mind and heart. This is truly a profound way to approach life and I couldn’t wait to share it on this blog.

I am a firm believer in continuous development. I feel that a key ingredient to a fulfilling and satisfied life is to always strive for personal growth and improvement. I’m also from the camp that believes that our own individual potential should calibrate our measuring tool for this growth and improvement.

Our world often encourages us to compare ourselves to other people. Messages of “Look at how rich they are! Look at how beautiful they are! Look how smart they are! Look at how big their house is! Look at how ripped their abs are!” It surrounds us everywhere we turn. If you watch television, read magazines, surf the Internet or walk outside in any urban area, it’s nearly impossible to avoid this noise. Media and Marketing are constantly yelling at us with images and slogans geared towards our insecurities. “You don’t have enough of ____________”, “You’re not ___________ enough”, “You should be more of _____________”, “If you could just _____________, then you’ll be happy”. It’s hard not to look around and feel a little inadequate. Comparing ourselves to others is almost forced upon us in today’s day and age.

I’m happy to reveal that there is another choice. Just like the quote says, instead of comparing ourselves to others, why not compare yourself to who you were a year ago. You are the only one who can gage your sense of self-satisfaction.

Take a moment right now to reflect back on who you were a year ago. What were your goals? What were you embarking on? What were your fears and hesitations? What were you looking forward to? What type of physical condition were you in? What impact did you want to make in your business and community? What kind of partner did you want to be? Was there anything you wanted to change about your situation? What did you want to be more of?

Now, take a moment to see where you are now. How far did you come? Are you proud of the progress you’ve made or did you come up short of your hopes and expectations? What did you do that was great and what could have been done better?

So much can transpire over the course of a year. During this period of time, life can be like an exhilarating roller coaster ride with several dramatic twists and turns. Reflecting back on who you were and where you wanted to be a year ago can really be an eye opener. Maybe you’ve met your goals, maybe you’ve exceeded them or perhaps you came up short. Regardless of where you are, it’s the perfect opportunity to reflect back and ask yourself “why”. If you are exactly where you wanted to be: why? If you are beyond where you wanted to be: why? If you didn’t quite get there: why? Take a moment to reflect and celebrate.

To conclude this blog, I will end with a simple request: please stop comparing yourselves to others. Just stop. It’s no good for you and it’s most likely going to leave you feeling like crap. Other people aren’t you and they never will be. Instead, start comparing yourself to that best version of you. It’s in your complete control to become the best version of you possible. Define what that looks like. Don’t let anyone or anything tell you who that person is. Imagine how much more you can learn. Imagine how many new activities you can try. Imagine how many new challenges you can conquer and how many more lives you can impact. Now take that vision and start applying yourself. In a year’s time, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself why you are where you are. And then celebrate. And then repeat.

2 comments:

Mark Stier said...

To compare is to despair!

Being the best is a subjective experience, and while it takes practice to be the best 'you' the gains are measurable as your long term mental toughness will become exponentially increased!

Anonymous said...

That is a good philosophy to live by: Stop Comparing Yourself to Others. I didn't know you wrote. I would like to read your books when they are published. Thanks.