Do you compare yourself to others?  I don’t mean compare on a physical level, whereby, you’re comparing your physical appearance.  I mean, do you compare your current and past situations in life and the direction you’re going based on what other people are doing?  Are you the type of person who gets affected by other peoples progress or direction?  I don’t mean in a bad way where you get jealous or you hate on other people.  I mean, does other peoples progress, focus and direction distract you and derail you from your path toward achieving your goals?

See here is the thing with me.  I used to have this horrible habit of comparing my progress to others who were on similar paths as me.  It wasn’t something I did intentionally, it would just happen subconsciously.  For example, let’s say I had my startup business and I had a few friends who also had their start up companies, but, in entirely different industries.  As I worked according to my budget and the business plan set up for my company I noticed my fellow friends creating amazing websites, vlogging, being interviewed by TV personnel, having photo shoots and writing books.

As I watched them make strides with their businesses I looked at my own progress and started questioning my plan.  Everything I worked toward, all the hard work I did and all my effort would seem useless because it didn’t amount to what my friends did.  I looked at my own progress and noticed that my company didn’t have a website, I didn’t have an office space, I wasn’t being interviewed by anyone, nor were my vlogs and blogs being marketed properly and getting the proper attention.  Because I compared my situation with others I lost confidence in myself and lost focus and got misdirected.

I then tried to incorporate what other people were doing into my already busy routine.  I dropped everything I was doing and making progress with, to attempt to start new projects.  I would try to incorporate something that one of my friends company’s had that my own company was lacking.  This would derail me from my goals because I wouldn’t have the resources or the means to accomplish the task at that moment and I would feel discouraged.  What I needed to do was focus on my own routine and realize that I was at a different place than my friends.  What they accomplished could’ve been due to many factors such as extra funding, access to free or reasonably priced resources, excellent network connections, and etc.. The fact that someone else accomplished something and I couldn’t didn’t mean I failed, it just meant that I was at a different phase than them.

Basically, what I learned is not to compare my direction and accomplishments to anyone else but my own.  I have to see my own progress and see if I am in a better position than I was from the day before.  Every time I compare myself to others it distracts me from my own routine and in fact confuses and hinders my progress.  I would play catch up, start new projects and get off track of my own routine because I thought I hadn’t accomplished what others from my age or social group had.  I would think I didn’t compare enough because I wasn’t up to their calibre.  I failed to realize just because someone else’s business had something that my business lacked it didn’t mean I wasn’t succeeding, it just meant that I had to stick to my plan and eventually I would achieve the results I want.

Time to reflect:

Do you compare yourself to others to the point where it distracts your path and direction?  If so you may want to try to stop and focus on what it is you have accomplished so far and then stop worrying so much about what you haven’t.  Just because someone similar to you has accomplished something that you may not have doesn’t mean you stop your plan and try to compete in anyway.  In fact, it just means you should stay on your path and eventually all the goals you have will come to fruition.  Good luck! 

“Comparison is the thief of joy.” ~ unknown