Don’t Judge Yourself by Who You’re Not
How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
“Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” — Allegory often attributed to Albert Einstein
Though there is no conclusive evidence that Einstein wrote this, the lesson is still clear: you should value and develop your strengths and not judge yourself on how you compare to other people. You must also recognize and encourage the strengths in others and not put them down or discourage them if they lack certain traits compared to you or others.
Gary Vaynerchuk reinforces this thought:
How I Got a Job In the World Trade Center With Zero Skills
I had to check and recheck that this was the right address.
In front of me rose a massive glass wall that strained my neck the further it ascended.
The guy on the phone who called me in to the interview said to meet him at 250 Greenwich St. He failed to tell me this was the address for World Trade Center #7.
My first thought — “I’m definitely not getting this job.”
You see, my previous jobs over the past two years were waiter, rafting guide, cattle rancher, carnie, laborer and bus driver with a long stretch of being a beach bum.
I had long hair, an ill-fitting suit, an ugly tie, old shoes and and a scant CV.
But after a brief interview…they offered me the job!
When I asked why they hired me, my boss said it was because he “liked my vibe” and that being a cattle rancher just “stood out”.
This was for a temporary position but after eight months, I was hired full time as a manager on the business development team.
Again, I asked why they hired me over others. They said it was because of my work ethic and that they liked me.
At that point, I still didn’t know what “Ctrl+C Ctrl+V” meant.
I didn’t have anything that would make me a desirable candidate by conventional standards. But I did what I did well.
Which leads me to my next point…
You Have No Idea What Others Value
We too often think for others by not even giving them a chance to see what we can bring to the table.
We hold ourselves back because we don’t think our strengths are valuable so we don’t even let others judge for themselves.
The truth is, people usually don’t know what they want. They might have an idea, but their minds are easily swayed.
Think about it from the terms of your romantic partner. Are they exactly like you imagined or did they posses traits that you didn’t even know you were attracted to?
You’ve got to put yourself out there and be bold. Your abilities could be the exact thing someone is looking for and doesn’t even know it.
Conclusion
Stop holding yourself back because you think you’re lacking something.
Lacking compared to whom?
Stop comparing yourself.
Through innate talents, life experience and personal outlook, you posses strengths that are unique to you.
If you’re a fish, you swim but you’ll suffocate in a tree. If you’re a monkey, you climb but will drown underwater.
A lot of people need what you have to offer and a lot of them don’t .
But one thing is true: they’ll never know about you if you compare yourself to the person you think they want.
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This article is Day 19 of the 30-Day Fishbowl Series
You can start the series by clicking HERE.
