The Power of Comparison & How to Use it to Get What You Want
People only talk about the negative side of comparison, but what about the positive? 3 min read.
Thinking of yourself as less than is easy.
Imposter syndrome, perfectionism, even procrastination all stem from this same core issue.
Keeping yourself small is part of survival.
We need to be liked by others so we go in circles trying to fit in, constantly comparing ourselves to others.
Especially when it comes to:
Money
Appearance
Money
Career
Wealth
Class
Money
Success
Spouse
Intelligence
And money…
What if you used the power of comparison to your advantage.
Here’s one example of how I’ve done this throughout my life.
Several times in the past 8 years, I’ve panicked and went into job-search mode (can you relate?)
I’d scroll endlessly through LinkedIn or some other job platform only to see 300+ applicants already applied for these roles.
I don’t stand a chance!
And even if I did, do I really want that?
Or am I just freaking out.
I’d venture to say that 98% of humans think and act within the same general line of reasoning (especially given early-life programming paired with today’s media climate).
So, standing out isn’t actually that hard!
Whenever I freak out because my current money-making ventures aren’t looking so good, I open a new doc and start journaling.
What do I want?
What am I good at?
How am I unique?
What have I done that no one else has?
Who can benefit from that?
What leverage do I have (or could I quickly create)?
Then I peruse the interwebs throughout the next week or so and make a list of companies, brands, or people I’d love to work for or work with (I typically aim for 10-20).
I then put them in order from most intrigued to least.
Then, I can find “The 3rd Door.”
There’s always 3 ways in. 2 are obvious, 1 is not.
The 3rd often requires thinking outside the box and/or taking a risk.
There is always a path that 95% of people didn’t think of and 100% didn’t pursue.
The beauty about creativity is that it’s infinite and boundless.
You see, the people you compare yourself to are more rare than you think, but since those are the people that show up every day in your feed, that’s all you think about.
So you can quickly feel worthless and lost.
Compare yourself to others
What are you better at?
Are you better at creatively solving problems?
Are you better at outworking them?
Are you more consistent?
Are you better at working with others?
Listing areas where you suck is a great place to start, then you’ll have a shorter list to act on.
For example, I got into more formal design only in the past few years. So when I go on Instagram, Behance, or Dribble, I have 2 conflicting thoughts:
Holy sh*t that is so cool, I want to be able to make that!
Holy sh*t I’m so out of my league, I should just quit and do something else.
After some introspection, I realized that I have something 99% of other designers don’t have.
I have a large skillset and years of experience in building all the components around the design. I may not be a master designer, but I can architect and build the larger picture. There’s less competition there for me.
I’m not pigeonholed to one skill.
Strategy
Marketing / market research
Websites / landing pages
Copywriting
Writing
Email marketing
Business knowledge
Experience freelancing
Experience hiring
Product creation
A list of talented people who can do the things I can’t
And so on…
How can I package this up and leverage it to get what I want?
What do these skills allow me to do that other brilliant designers can’t?
Next time you feel small after seeing someone else’s work, I challenge you to think about something you’re better at than them. Find a gap, no matter how small, that you could fill and they likely can’t.
They’re better at a
They are definitely better at b
It would take me years to be that good at c
But z, I’m a master compared to them.
This allows you to locate and build upon your strengths while avoiding all the many distractions out there.
I hope this resonates if it’s something you needed to hear.
If you didn’t need to hear it, I hope you’ll share it with someone who does.
And I hope you have a wonderful week.
Onward.
Updates and stuff
Peep the pod website updates
The Box 3.0 is now live with some big changes (now $30/mo instead of $65)
Latest solo ep — Creative Offense & Defense (Chris Do Recap)
Guest ep — Chris Do – Creative Confidence & The Ability to Solve Any Problem
Currently reading — Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
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