My 4-Step Secret Hack to Avoid Comparison and Actually Start Cherishing Growth
So, you can put your energy into what really matters!
When you listen to successful people’s stories, is there any comparison in their biographies?
Vikram Bhatra fought better than Gunjan Saxena in the Kargil war.
Virat Kohli has a slower pace than Sachin Tendulkar.
How ridiculous it is!
It doesn’t sound like sharing any story. No interest. No inspiration.
Then, why are you spoiling your story by comparing it with others?
Why are you lowering your self-esteem?
Why are you eroding your potential?
I’m not perfect.
I did a comparison for months.
I didn’t want to do this; still, I was going through a hell of a comparison.
It shook my mental health.
Here are the approaches I embraced to break the trap of comparison, which will help you, too:
1) Pinpoint your lacks
I jot down my mistakes from the last year (regarding learning, work, and approaches). I pasted them in front of me to set them as a reminder if I’m not repeating them currently.
I noted the things to work on, like writing, speaking, and sales skills.
2) Practice
Practice becomes your habit, neither with affirmations nor overthinking.
It demands a routine, which is a source of discipline.
I made the daily routine to read, write, edit, and speak. Here’s how:
- I deep dived into specific things to master to build the routine.
- For example, I knew the aspects to practice and improve my writing, like Heading, CTA, storytelling, grammatical mistakes, reading flow, and copywriting principles.
- I classified the resources to learn from: Newsletters, Online creators, blogs, and LinkedIn posts.
- Then, I chose two aspects to practice every day, improving them one by one.
3) Self-belief
What’s the benefit of investing and learning if you keep doubting yourself and question your skills?
That diminishes your esteem. No self-belief means no growth.
Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is.
So, I worked on my mindset to break the psychological barriers. I looked at the growing people in my industry and said if they can do it, I can, too.
I monitored my self-talk and removed the sentences like — Why I’m not getting XYZ. Why I can’t see the change. I replaced these negative questions with the affirmed sentences.
I started learning from others, replacing the word ‘competitors’ with fellow creators.
A study in 2022 proved that comparison led to envy in people. The emotions of jealousy made them feel more flawed about themselves. And comparison never lets you have self-belief.
4) Gratitude
Expressing gratitude isn’t only about speaking two thankful words and wasting energy in regrets for the rest of the day.
Gratitude gives you a reflection on the blessings, like support from your people, health, family, work, and a lot more.
As I start my day, I thank God for the blessings, and it guides me to acknowledge the unique things and disguised privileges.
A study by Virginia Commonwealth University found that thankfulness forecasted a lesser chance of depression, phobia, nicotine dependence, anxiety disorder, and drug dependence.
Conclusion:
Your journey isn’t about how you do better compared to others. It is focused only on YOU — how you fight back, bounce back, and keep going.
Be mindful of using your energy and time, the most precious aspects.
The best approach is to compare to your past self of yesterday, last month, and last year, else focus on:
- Acknowledging your mistakes and flaws.
- Practicing to get better.
- Building self-belief
- Expressing gratitude.
When you know you can become better, work on yourself.
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I’m a LinkedIn personal branding strategist and copywriter. I share insights based on my experience and learning. Want to get practical LinkedIn approaches to achieve your business goals?
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