How Comparison Can Lead to a Growth Mindset

It’s easy to compare ourselves to other people but the fallacy in this is that there’s always going to be someone with some attribute or experience you can compare your own too.

It’s not possible to completely stop caring what others think, it’s not even healthy since we are a species of community so acceptance & support of others aids survival, but the fixation on others opinion or beliefs about you can be detrimental to your progress.

Comparison tends to lead to extreme measures such as giving up or placing pressure on oneself that is not justifiable or realistic & can lead to unsustainable or unenjoyable behavior.

In doing so, the self-fulfilling prophecy ensues by which you end up proving to yourself you’re not “as good as” them or that person because you “couldnt” do it, when in reality, you just didn’t take the steps you needed to take based on where you’re at to accomplish the feats you set out to.

Comparison can be healthy in many ways as it might give you clues into better ways of living or new perspectives or even a direct contrast between where you are & where you want to be.

Of course, comparison isn’t meant to be about becoming someone else.

It can be utilized to your benefit though, if you seek out the themes & clues that you’re drawn to from another persons lifestyle or affect.

Maybe they appear to be stronger or more easy going than you. This doesn’t mean you emulate their behavior through mimicry.

Rather, you can ask yourself what keeps you from going with the flow? What ways are you holding yourself back in the gym? How do they approach their training opposed to how you have been?

Copying someone never leads to long term success because acting would be exhausting & you could lose yourself in the process.

It’s much better to introspect through self-awareness and evaluation so you can capitalize on your unique strengths, traits, and experiences!

Some journal prompts that may help you move through comparison:

1. What has led me to believe this person is more ideal than me?
2. What may have contributed to where they are? What may have or may be contributing to where I am?
3. What do I need to change today to grow at a compounding rate?

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