This week, there has been much attention focused on an Instagram post detailing the daily routine of a couple and their boys. It is quite rigorous! While I am not at all convinced this family actually exists and is not fabricated to sell the products they use in the video, the reaction to the video is intriguing, with lots of people presumably deciding to “up their game” for their own daily routines.
The challenge with this is that even if this couple is real, they are not you, and therefore, mimicking their daily routine is bound to fail at some point. That could lead to you feeling inadequate.
Folks, never compare yourself to anyone else. We all have our gifts. Each combination of human gifts is unique to that person.
I have a gift for leading, speaking, entertaining, motivating, and decorating. For years, I desperately wanted to be a leading actress on Broadway. While I have a fair enough voice for karaoke, truth be told, I never had anything close to the pipes one needs to sing on Broadway. I actually never had the voice for leading roles in regional theater, and I spent way too many years comparing myself to those actresses who consistently beat me out of those leading roles. (I am a heck of a character actress, by the way, but that’s a different story.)
It’s human nature to compare ourselves. I get that. But when we do, we always compare our weaknesses to their strengths. You lose that comparison every time. Why would you do that to yourself? So long as I continued to compare myself to the ingénues & lyric sopranos, my self-esteem took hit after hit. It wasn’t until I stepped away from theater completely that my true leadership and presentation gifts were given room to shine. My self-esteem grew and began working for me. (I may go back at some point and do some community theater again – just for giggles. There are a lot more character roles for women whose age is more interesting.)
In today’s image-conscious society, we are constantly bombarded with the media’s model of perfection. What we should look like, weigh, wear, or do. Women are assaulted by images of the perceived perfect female form. Men are bombarded with messages of athletic prowess, muscular build, and virility. The implication is that variation from that stated perfection is somehow less valued. But most of those images are not real. They have been photo-shopped, adjusted, tweaked, and enhanced. Comparing oneself to those images is a prescription for self-defeat every time. I regularly encounter other excellent speakers and corporate trainers as I travel, speak, and train. I never compare myself to them. They have their gifts, and I have mine. I choose to compare myself only with my own best efforts. Then, I strive to exceed those efforts.
Never compare yourself with anyone else – only with your own best efforts and intentions.
Read Lauren’s Whitepaper on The Nine Essentials of Significant Leadership.
