I’m not giving you any tech tips today. This is totally from the heart. Something we all need to hear, especially me.
We’ve all been there before — the dreaded comparison trap — and it’s a hard place to be. Sometimes you feel like you may never find your way out because it can be a dark and scary place. I want to offer you some encouragement and remind you that you are exactly where you are supposed to be.
Yesterday I was working with an amazing client who was falling into the comparison trap. She felt she was doing something wrong because it seemed like everyone around her was doing bigger and better things.
As we were talking, I reminded her that we don’t know what others’ lives look like off social media. Even if your life seems identical to someone else’s on the surface, it’s not. We all have our own baggage, issues and problems to deal with on a daily basis.
In addition, we all have our own strengths, expertise and experiences that propel us forward (or hold us back). Your journey is going to look different from everyone else’s because it is YOUR journey.
It’s hard to shake comparisonitis, let me tell you. I’m no pro, that’s for sure.
Think back to grade school. What test did you dread? Math? Science? Reading? For me it was spelling.
During a test, what did your teacher always tell you?
Keep your eyes on your own paper.
Even if you were tempted to look at your friend’s paper, you kept your eyes on your own paper. You didn’t want to risk getting in trouble.
When you got your test results back, you might have been bummed to see you received a C while your smarty pants friend got an A+. Your parents might have been less than pleased with your C, but encouraged you to keep working hard.
Next time the dreaded test came around, you worked hard and felt more prepared. You got an A+ this time! Your parents were proud of you and you felt good too.
It works the same way in business. When you stop looking at what others are doing and take the time to do your own thing, you excel. Sure, you will have missteps along the way, but that’s life.
Whenever you find yourself tempted to look at someone else’s paper, stop and remind yourself that your journey looks different from their journey. Wherever you are in this crazy journey of entrepreneurship, you are exactly where you need to be.
xo, katie