Why Comparing Yourself to Others is the Best and Worst Thing You Can Do

Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: You’re lurking a peer’s social media account, and what started as a cursory browse quickly takes a detour down the rabbit hole of self-doubt and envy: “S/he is so much better at X or Y than I am – I’ll never catch up! Look at his/her amazing X or Y and s/he’s always hanging with X or Y celebrity and nobody even knows who I am – ugh, I should just quit and do something else, I’m just not cut out for this” – and so forth.

If the above scenario rings painfully true for you, it’s because you’ve felt the power of something embedded deep in the semi-conscious, caveman part of our brains: a powerful engine for comparison – one that works with ruthless efficiency.

Occasionally we have the wherewithal to AVOID that ruthless voice in our heads that doesn’t serve us – and it’s common knowledge that we’re doing ourselves a favor when we do so.  But – at the risk of taking an unpopular stance here, I believe that comparative thinking can be — in fact, MUST be — a part of any creative pro’s toolkit.

In this episode,

• Comparing yourSELF – that is, your overall “worth” as a human being – to others is harmful and undermining your goals. Remind yourself that you are worthy. You are enough.  You are a good human. And remind yourself, “That’s their highlight reel”.
• Comparative thinking is not only good, but vital for creative pros: Make a habit of reviewing the WORK of others. You must compare your work to the best, and you must do it with an unflinchingly honest eye, and with the explicit goal of learning from the comparison, using what you learn to improve your own work.
• Real craft stands out. People gravitate to strong, creative work.  Done with stamina.  Over time.  And consistency.
• and much more.

Enjoy!

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