A practitioner once told me, “I’ve cried a lot of tears from comparing myself to others.”
What she meant was that constantly comparing yourself to other practitioners is exhausting and destructive. She meant that feeling like everyone around you is more successful than you are is a tough way to go through life, and ultimately, does nothing to help your practice.
But there’s a flip side to comparison that isn’t acknowledged enough. We do it when times are tough as a way to make ourselves feel better. As in, “Things are slow, but everyone’s been slow.” or “I’m in trouble, but at least I’m not that guy.”
Don’t set the bar that low. Choose your own set of standards. Create your own yardstick. Don’t find success in the fact that other practitioners are suffering, and don’t suffer when others find success.
Don’t compare. You can study. You can copy, and improve. You can teach and learn. But don’t compare. It either lowers the bar or it lowers your confidence. Neither is helpful.
I remember once my tui na professor said, “Don’t try to be as good as me. You won’t be. Only I can be as good as me. If you try and be as good as you, then maybe you will be better than me.”
As a new and growing woman entrepreneur, I’m always looking around at other more successful entrepreneurs and try to remember that they were where I am, at this point, and I also see those women as inspiration, knowing that I CAN do what they are doing, just as successfully. This was great post. Thanks, Gayle