The Let Them Theory

by Mel Robbins

The reality is, you can’t control another person’s success, luck, or timing in life. The only thing you can control is what you do with the examples other people set and the actions you take next. When you see other people’s lives as evidence that you’re a failure, or you’re unattractive, or not good enough, you become your biggest obstacle. Mindlessly scrolling on social media or feeling inferior to someone else makes you feel stuck, hopeless, and perpetually behind. You are torturing yourself for no reason. You’re letting other people paralyze you, which leads to procrastination and self-criticism. When you focus on how unfair life seems and compare yourself to others, you’re draining your motivation and keeping yourself from moving forward. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. You are failing because of your chronic habit of comparing yourself.