Turning Comparison Into
Motivation
In the age of social media it can be so easy for our lives to be dominated by comparison. The comparison of our achievements, the comparison of our journeys and the comparison of our physical selves. There are so many ways in which comparing ourselves to others, known or unknown, can leave us feeling less than we truly are.
I've often been a victim of comparing myself to so many and in hindsight, it has brought nothing but doubt into my life. It's made me feel that I've not achieved enough, that my journey has often taken the wrong route and that I should be balancing every aspect of myself far differently than I am. It's taken a long time and I still 'slip up' but realising it was my own choice to visualise comparison that way has changed the way I find inspiration.
Why should comparing yourself to another person in your personal life, career or even on social platforms be such a negative route to take? It's most definitely not the easiest choice to make, but choosing to use comparison as motivation, inspiration and a source of joy has changed my own perspective and given me the ability to take life at my own pace.
I make no apologies for the fact that I am a career driven woman but I also make no apologies for the fact that I am not perfect. Nobody is and it took me a long while to stop assuming that other people are just that. I worry if I'm doing enough, I worry that I don't always achieve my goals and I have often found myself worried about feeling left behind but in all honesty that's because of the pressure I've placed upon myself. The choice I've made to use comparison as a negative. Recently on a press trip to Paris, almost immediately after the madness of our wedding weekend, I was reminded just how incredible and fulfilling the right type of comparison can be. And it's all dependent on how kind we are to ourselves.
Spending the trip surrounded by wonderfully successful people all amazing in their own fields, was an occasion I chose to thoroughly soak in. I came home feeling so inspired and ready to learn from my successes, my failures and my goals for the future. Less time worrying that someone else's success will dampen my own (spoiler alert it most definitely will not!) and more time learning, growing and being inspired by other people's journeys.
"Dimming someone else's light won't make yours shine any brighter."
- Anon
To compare yourself to others is second nature and telling ourselves not to do it seems to go against the grain, so why not take that natural instinct and allow yourself to thrive by using it to your advantage. Use your friends, colleagues and social media personalities to boost your own success and never forget you always have the right to unfollow someone who doesn't fit into those categories. Seeing other people achieve their goals, reach for the stars and live their life well is often the motivation I need when I feel like everything is on top of me. Of course you can never truly know how many times someone else has fallen and got back up before they hit their mark, but use someone else's victories to aim for your own. If someone else has succeeded, there's no reason you can't too - allow their light to guide your way.
Pictured: Laura Mercier
