Dad so often said, “Don’t focus on what you aren’t. Focus on what you ARE and how you can use that to get where you want to be.”
“Comparison-itis” is an insidious disease. It is especially damaging in both the direct sales world and the professional speaking world, the two industries I have spent the past 24 years of my life in. But let’s be honest, it’s horrible in any arena of life. Chances are pretty good that in your life or career you have encountered someone you admired and might have been a tad bit envious of. When you compare yourself to them, it’s natural to come up short in your own eyes and feel miserable because of it. Sometimes, the result of that is trying to duplicate what they’ve done, only better—which rarely works in your favor either.
That doesn’t mean I don’t still compare myself with others who are seemingly more successful, more competent, more accomplished than I am. I do. We all do. The challenge (and the reason why this disease is so insidious) is that when we compare ourselves with other people, we automatically compare our weaknesses to their strengths. We lose that comparison every time. Why would you do that to yourself? I try only to compare myself with my own best efforts. Then I can focus on improving upon those best efforts.
You can’t be significant if you are trying to be someone else. You have a unique combination of gifts and abilities, and comparing yourself to someone else prevents you from using those abilities that are uniquely yours. Focus on and celebrate who you are.
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