Why Comparing Yourself to Others is a Recipe for Failure

In today’s society, it’s almost impossible to avoid comparison. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are filled with images of perfect bodies, perfect relationships, and perfect lives. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others and feeling inadequate. However, this kind of thinking is detrimental to your mental and emotional health. Comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of jealousy, low self-esteem, and even depression. In this article, we’ll discuss why comparing yourself to others is a recipe for failure and how you can avoid this negative behavior.

Focus on Your Art

Seth Godin, a well-known author, often talks about how we should focus on figuring out what our art is and on sharing this art with the world. Your art is your unique and distinct expression of creativity and passion. Comparing yourself to others distracts you from the magic that makes your art special. It encourages imitation and makes you lose your essence. Competing with oneself brings magic to our art, as we develop our core art, we become more creative, and we bring originality and insight to our work. Steve Jobs is an example of how your commitment to tapping into your inner creativity brings success.

Write Down Your Goals

Writing down your goals is one of the easiest ways to keep in touch with your inner purpose and see where you’d like to be in a given time frame. Research has shown time and time again that writing down your goals dramatically increases your chances of achieving them. When writing your goals, it’s essential to write down the steps you have taken or plan to take to accomplish them. Also, make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Active, Realistic, and Timed (SMART) to increase your chances of success.

Track Your Progress

Tracking your progress gives you a sense of how far along you are in your journey towards improving your art. It helps you determine areas in which you need to improve or work harder, and it reassures you that you are on track if you are meeting all your set targets for yourself.

Devise a Plan for Improvement

Now that you have reviewed your goals, devise a plan for improvement that can help you perfect your art. Since you have the best understanding of what the best expression of your art should look like, come up with action steps that can help you improve to the best of your ability and that can help you reach your definition of success.

Conclusion

Comparing yourself to others is the easiest way to lose focus and distract yourself from your goals. As a human being, the best favor you can do yourself and the world at large is to be laser-focused on your personal goals and on your definition of what success with those goals means to you. Instead, focus on your art, write down your goals, track your progress, and devise a plan for improvement. These three steps will help you compete effectively with yourself and make the best possible version of your art that the world has ever seen.