Here's why you should compare yourself with others.
I was in junior school when a complete newbie joined my class and by the end of the term, he took the first position.
You should know that I was not the brilliant type neither was I the dumb type. I just never really cared a lot about books or education but after this new guy beat the whole class by coming first, I changed.
You might want to ask how that changed me. I will tell you how. For the first time, I had a deep conversation with myself about these two questions:
- Is it okay that a complete newbie beat the whole class?
- What makes the new guy better than me and the rest of the class?
It is okay that any of my old mates take the first position in the class, but a stranger beating the whole class didn’t sit well with me. For me, it felt like humiliation that a newbie comes first. What made the newbie more special than the rest of us? My school was unarguably the best in town and whatever school he came from could in no way compete with ours.
I felt like my ego had been bruised and I wanted to change that. So the next term, I took my books seriously and made friends with this newbie. Fortunately, this newbie was nice and he would explain topics I did not understand. I also read constantly, my books to beat him at the end of the term.
And guess what?
At the end of the next term, the newbie still maintained the first position, but I didn’t maintain mine. I didn’t make it to the top 3, but I manage to make it to the fourth position from the sixteenth.
After that experience, I realized that I could be better if I wanted to. I am certain that if the newbie hadn’t been transferred to my school, I wouldn’t have been pushed to read harder. I would have remained in my normal position.
What am driving at?
Sometimes, we all need that one push in our various lives to make things better for us. You may be comfortable where you are right now because you haven’t seen others go higher than you. You are content because you feel no one else is doing better than you are in your field. But the truth is no matter how successful you are, there are thousands of people out there doing better than you. They are doing better than you not because they’re smarter, but because they’re purposeful people. They are people who take up even the littlest opportunities around them. They keep going even if they have accomplished most of their life dreams. They are never comfortable with what they have. They want more and will never stop till they acquire their goals.
You might say that you are different and your opportunities are limited, but let me tell you this: there are limitless opportunities around you. You are just too blind to see them.
Recently, I subscribed to Jon Morrow’s newsletters. His newsletter, “Introducing Myself” made me a bit sad. Why? It contained a link where he talked about how he suffers from being paralyzed. Jon cannot move anything but his face and he is confined to a wheelchair yet, he is a millionaire, a writer, and the founder of SMART BLOGGING, a very large website with millions of readers. While reading his life story, I felt sad for Jon but I was happy he is living his dream life. Jon’s situation didn’t stop him from achieving his dream life. He stays in his wheel yet makes millions of money.
So if Jon with his condition can do that, what’s stopping you?
The people making it in life are not in any way better than you. In reality, you might be way better than they are, but you’re not just seeing what they are seeing. You are blinded that you do not see the numerous opportunities around you.
So saying you should not compare yourself to others is wrong. What is right is that you should not compare yourself to others in a negative way. Positive comparison with others paves the way for you to become better. And while you strive to be better, do not be too ambitious to be like someone with years of experience in a particular field. The process is gradual. Just do not quit.
