Constantly comparing ourselves to others hinders our growth
Back in August 2020, I was fortunate enough to participate in a friend’s stream promote the importance of intentional living and mental health. I was able to share my story on how I built Kurative Co.and how being part of a community has immensely helped more than fostering a competitive mindset.
We talked about comparing ourselves to people in the same field as us. For him, it was other gaming streamers 🎮, and for me, it was other content creators. 🎨
My concerns were initially focused on the numbers of followers & likes in an Instagram post or a YouTube video, or how many people subscribed to my newsletter. And when I heard about people having either 2x more than me or 10x more than me, I’d be disappointed and feel discouraged to continue working.
But as I shared with you about how to redefine your metrics for success and how to overcome mindset traps, I began focusing on three important things:
Instead of comparing myself to others, I started to only compare my progress from my past self to now. ➡️
Instead of caring about followers and likes, I focused on people reaching out to me saying my stories resonated with them. ❤️
Instead of viewing my fellow peers as competitors, I began to build a community around them. 🤝
The benefits of not comparing yourself to others
Focusing on myself removes all of the stress and unnecessary negative energy that comes with competition. When I stop comparing myself to others, I start viewing them as fellow content creators to collaborate and grow with.
For you, whether it’s a fellow co-worker, another artist, or even a sibling, there’s no need to compare yourself to them. There’s enough room in the world for all of us to succeed in what we do. 🔑
We should stop ourselves from thinking that if we’re not the best, we’re the worst. We shouldn’t give up just because we’re still struggling when others are not. Instead, we can view our peers as inspiration and learn from them. And if we are more experienced than our peers, instead of leaving them in the dust, we can help, mentor, and share the knowledge with them.
Intentional living requires breaking away from the comparison trap
Once we stop focusing on the comparison trap, we can focus more on our progress. We’ll enjoy the process more versus being anxious about the results. And we’ll build strong and supportive relationships versus enemies striving for the non-existent 1st place. 🥇
Who in your life have you constantly viewed as a competitor?
What can you do to start building a more collaborative relationship with them?
You’re invited to send me an email to let me know if this topic resonated with you or even just share your thoughts on the topic. 🙂