Monday, February 27, 2012

Comparisons


We spend way too much time comparing ourselves to others.

We do this in our personal life, even if we don't realize we are doing it. We compare ourselves to our friends and wonder how someone could be so much better off than we are. We compare ourselves to our neighbors and wish we had the nicer lawn or the nicer house or a nicer car. We compare ourselves to the people around us on a daily basis, wishing we were better looking, skinnier, in better shape, wealthier or smarter. We are constantly comparing ourselves to the people around us.

We do this in our professional life, both as individuals and as compaines. We wish we were more like our co-worker who seems to do better work or who got the promotion we wanted. We look at what we do based on things we did in the past, at other companies or in different situations. We look at competitors and wonder how we can be better then them, get more sales then them, build more than them, create more than them. We wonder how we can do what they are doing, but bigger and better.

There are always going to be people and companies who are better than us at something. There are always going to be people and companies we are better than. Go through your day and be aware of the number of times you compare yourself to others. See how this comparison makes you feel. Does it help you do better work? Does it help you feel good about yourself? Does it drive you to be more creative? Does it make you feel as if taking risks are okay?

Instead of constantly comparing yourself to others, look inside and see what it is that you want to do. You don't have to be like anyone else around you. You don't have to offer the products everyone else does. You don't have to offer the same services or the same prices or the same quality as everyone else around you. There are billions of differences between you and your neighbor or your company and your competitor. You are not capable of being exactly like them, so why would you compare yourself to them?

Each one of us is an individual. Each grouping of individuals into a company is distinctly different than any other company. We, both as individuals and as groupings, have different things to offer, different viewpoints, different needs, different driving forces and different passions. Instead of trying to be like someone else or trying to be better than someone else, try being true to you. You might just be surprised at what you have to offer the world if you stop comparing yourself to others and start doing what you want to do.

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