Why Comparing Yourself to Others Can Cripple Confidence

Lil Timmy has 16k Instagram followers! Why can’t I get into How and Print and Graphis? Jon Contino is 30-something and he has worked on collaborations with Nike and started his own clothing line!

As many young designers are trying to find their way, these are the kind of thoughts that can creep in and kill confidence and creativity. I remember specifically in my 3rd year of design school a time when I was being taught by an adjunct professor who was about my age. Having joined the Navy nearly straight out of high-school, I had a 4 year gap (which I wouldn’t change for the world) in which I was not attending school. I entered college with firefighting, gun totin’, and swabbing experience, but I was still a bit self-conscious about not being further along in my career in comparison to others my age. I was oblivious to where my experience and achievements fell in the grander scheme of the design world.

My professor, a web designer and UX cat, had worked with large local and national clientele creating some solid web experiences. He, at my age, had me contemplating why I was not further along in my career. I remember sitting in that Multimedia I class thinking that I should be doing that level of work. Although my ambitions were noble, my expectations for where I was in my career were unrealistic on so many levels. Those thoughts plagued my confidence. I kept thinking I had to live up to these absurd milestones. I had this thirst for something bigger than I was educated/prepared for, and I continually compared myself to other people I admired. When we are constantly looking out at others, we aren’t looking in, and that shit is dangerous.

When we compare ourselves to others we continually turn the focus on status and style, not on bettering our own work. My professor had become successful because he had worked hard and had put in more time than I had. It had nothing to do with him or I being less or more talented. He had put in the time to learn from others, hone his craft and make connections that led to higher profile work. That’s when I realized I had my own path to follow and forge and that I needed a lesson in patience.

Having the guts to change an unhealthy mentality was tough to do. One reason it was tough is because I’m a stubborn ass, the other reason being that it’s hard to make a conscious decision to think differently and actually change enough to follow through. It didn’t happen overnight, but now I don’t really give a shit about where I’m at from a status standpoint as long as I feel good about the design and content I’m putting out into the world. If you approach your career with thoughts of attaining this rockstar status as your main motivation, you are going to be continually let down and your intentions will be in the wrong place. How are you going to create great work if you are doing it for yourself?

You can see some of my branding and design work here at gogojones.com
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram