What to Do Instead of Playing the Comparison Game

I’d like to say comparing ourselves to others is the downfall of humanity, but that could be a bit of an overstatement. Is it, though? (Eve and her guy Adam became enticed by something someone else had and they thought they could become like God with it.)

I will never forget decades ago when my husband said he could never be a composer because there were so many great musicians already. Yes, but there were no composers like him. That is when I first realized how debilitating comparing ourselves could be.

And then I came across another awful repercussion from comparison: What if we strived only to be “better” than the person next to us? We would only try to be one step ahead of “the competition,” and thus may never realize our full potential.

Doesn’t that scare you?

It scares me.

I don’t care if you are a writer or an artist or a runner or a teacher or a magician or a cook or a candlestick maker, none of us should think that being better than whatever is out there right now is the best we can be.

As long as we are focused on “the competition” of this world, we won’t be able to envision where we could be headed.

My older son Drew started running in high school. I was mortified for him because I saw these older runners who had so much experience--not to mention, speed and endurance and perseverance. How could Drew compete with these kids?

And then I understood. He never compared himself against others. He worked endlessly competing against the only one who matters—himself. When he raced, he raced against his last PR. (For all of you non-athletes out there, a PR is a Personal Record.)

I have come to adore PRs.

Because it is through achieving a PR, we can reach for that next PR, and before we know it, we may be dancing (or running) among the stars.

Michelangelo says it way better than me (dang, I just compared myself to Michelangelo). He says: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." 

Keep striving, my friends. Beyond the mountains, higher than the clouds . . . . let’s reach for that bright shining star, the one and only one with your name on it.

Let's do this.

Do you know someone who could benefit from setting some PR's rather than comparing themselves to their neighbor? Share this with them now. They will thank you for it.