Comparison Will Destroy You If You Let It
Choose to master it instead.
If there’s one sure-fire way to lower your confidence and give yourself the blues, it’s to compare yourself with others.
Comparison is, most assuredly, the thief of joy.
It’s just too easy to compare ourselves with others these days. Everywhere we look, we’re bombarded with images of friends and peers celebrating their latest wins: job promotions, financial milestones, personal achievements.
If you can scroll through Instagram for five minutes without seeing something along those lines, I’ll eat my brand new Red Sox baseball cap.
Making the possible feel impossible
Self-comparison was a real issue for me not so long ago.
It used to drive me bananas seeing other people (and other businesses) notch success after success while I barely reached first gear in my solopreneurial journey.
It got me down, made me feel like I’d never get to where they were. It made the journey itself feel impossible, and perhaps not even worth the effort.
I tried ignoring what others were doing. I stuck my head in the sand and focused solely on my own endeavours. I avoided reading about other companies and other people in the hope it’d improve my own chances of success
That was a mistake. It stunted my growth in business and set me back several years in mindset terms.
Not good.
Become the master
In truth, comparison is unavoidable. The internet makes it almost impossible. And you can’t run a business or develop a sustainable solopreneurship without being online in some capacity.
So what’s the answer?
Well, if comparison can’t be avoided, why not use it to our advantage instead?
If we really can’t help comparing ourselves to others, why not transform the process from a self-destructive ritual into a personal and professional growth opportunity?
Here’s how I’ve learned to do that in my time as a solopreneur.
- Celebrate every win, no matter how small
- Choose to feel happy for others instead of envying or resenting their success
- Make space for personal reflection on a daily basis
- Read stories about how other brands and people started out
- Analyse and learn from your own mistakes and failures
- Set goals just beyond your means and strive for them
- Know that those celebratory photos on Instagram only come after a ton of hard work, dedication and triumph over self-doubt
Switch your mindset
Comparison can be incredibly destructive. It’ll cripple your potential solo business if you let it.
Master it by turning it into something positive. Use it as a learning opportunity. Become the kind of person who sincerely congratulates others instead of harbouring resentment towards them from the other side of a phone screen.
If you can make that mindset switch, you’ll become unstoppable as a solopreneur.
Does comparison ever get you down? How do you deal with it?
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