My Dreams Are Better Then Yours
Note from me: I will be away the rest of this week speaking in Kenya, Africa. My good friend Dan Black will be moderating my comments. Thank you Dan!
It’s just human nature to want to compare what you’re doing to what someone else is doing.
Growing up with three brothers I’m sure you can imagine there was a lot of comparing going on. When my older brother got a B in school, I made sure I got an A. When my younger brother excelled at sports, my older brother would play until he dropped to be better than our younger brother.
You would think that when you grow up we would be over silly things like this but let’s be honest, we’re not!
As I started writing and speaking, the way that I measured my progress was to look at friends that had were on the same level as me. If they booked three events, I wasn’t happy unless I booked four. If someone sold X number of books, I did everything I could to sell Y.
I know it sounds bad but I made a promise to always be honest and the honest truth is no matter how hard I try, I get caught up in comparing myself to others.
So now you have to be honest with me (and yourself), do you compare yourself to other people?
Even though it seems logical and a good barometer, comparing yourself to others is toxic and doesn’t really make sense. First, everyone’s dream is different and specific to them.
What you’re doing is different than what I’m doing and that’s good. If our dreams are going to succeed they have to be our dreams, not anyone else’s. If I compare and model my dreams after yours then I’m going to fail and so will you if you do the same.
If you want a good barometer of where your progress is at, then you need to set specific goals. If you want to lose fifty pounds this year then set realistic goals every month, when you hit those goals or miss those goals is how you really should measure your progress.
None of this is a competition, we’re trying to change our lives and leave a legacy, and this is a road we have to fight alone, on our terms not chasing after someone else’s.
It’s still tempting for me to get jealous when I hear of someone who booked an amazing event or did this and that but I know better. Now I make every effort to congratulate them and be genuinely excited for them, it’s my mission in life to see people succeed at their dreams. I’m over the top happy when someone does that!
If you have been guilty of comparing yourself or your progress to others then STOP! I know you know that it won’t help and only discourage you or give you false pride.
Let’s be there as cheerleaders for those that are succeeding in their progress, let’s be one giant support team for each other, the world needs a lot more of this.
Starting right now, set realistic goals for where you want to be with your progress and you make changes and chase your dreams. Let that be what you compare yourself too, you’ll avoid the stress and add years to your life J
Have you been guilty of comparing yourself to other people?
