5 Ways How Comparison Can Actually Be Beneficial For Your Growth

Comparison. The root of all evil or a way to actually help you reach the goal you’ve been dreaming about? I took the Slay With Sam Masterclass several months ago (@SlayWithSam on Instagram) and in one masterclass she talked with us about confidence. Sam brought up a really good point when she said, and I’m paraphrasing here, that the problem isn’t that we compare ourselves, the problem is HOW we compare ourselves. This truth really resonated with me. All this time, I’ve been viewing comparison as this evil that has been keeping me from achieving my goals. And yet, as I shift my mindset about the word, here’s how I believe comparison can actually be beneficial for your growth.

#1 Getting a sneak peak into the life you want

I really look up to Gabby Bernstein and Rachel Hollis. Being completely honest and transparent with you guys, I spent a lot of time watching Gabby Bernstein come out with book after book and seminar after seminar and thought, “damn, she’s totally dominated the market. There can’t be room for me. She’s living the life that nobody else could ever live”. Irrational thoughts? Yes, of course. But that’s the narrative I told myself...the lie I used to feed myself every year. With a new mindset shift I’m able to now see that leaders like Gabby are sharing sneak peaks of the life that we want and so rather than being jealous we should be happy It’s, of course, so much easier having this visual in front of me they’ve already lived out the path.

#2 A chance to learn new things by someone in your field

Instead of looking at it as, “OMG look at these women who have what I want or what I hope to achieve before I’m 30 years old”, I can view them as teachers, role models, and mentors… women who I can learn from! Sure I don’t have access to speak with them directly as I otherwise would with a teacher, but they’re certainly speaking to me directly with their content. When you’re able to shift your mindset from envy to admiration, the world looks a heck of a lot bigger, doesn’t it? All of the sudden there is no competition and the question we ask ourselves, “Is there room for me?” becomes a resounding YES!

#3 Ability to get free inspiration

Take the dream board idea. Rather than cutting out words from a magazine or printing images from Google or drawing on your board with colored pens and markers, use your role teacher’s/role model’s/mentor’s content as your dream board inspiration. What content seems to resonate the most with their audience on their social channels? What messages from their books impacted you the most? Use all of this as inspiration to get your own creative juices flowing. I actually just watched a YouTube video the other day called How To START A YOUTUBE CHANNEL In 2020: Beginner's guide to YouTube & growing from 0 subscribers on Kathrin Manning’s channel and she said, I’m also paraphrasing here, that people who are just now starting their YouTube channels actually have a competitive advantage because they’re able to see what the successful creators who have been on YouTube for years have been doing right and where they’ve made mistakes. Again, only through reframing the word comparison are we able to transform envy to admiration and inspiration.

#4 Give you the extra push to put your ideas into action

If you’re like me then you sometimes need to wait for the universe to teach you a lesson in a BIG way with flashing lights. And sometimes seeing others chasing after their dreams is just the push you need to spring into action yourself...it helps you realize that it’s possible because, hey, if they can do it, so can you! I’ll give you a perfect example of this. One of my friends from college started her podcast in July of 2019. She was sharing new episodes every Wednesday and I thought, “wow this is amazing! Good for her!” I also thought, “you know, I’ve wanted to start a podcast too… maybe I should give it a shot?” And so I did. One month later I launched the Found Family Podcast and I’ve published 40 episodes so far! Who knows, if I hadn’t seen my friend’s podcast maybe I wouldn’t have started mine… or maybe I would have started it, but I would have come up with excuses and pushed it off for a few months… or even years (the way I did with my YouTube channel *eye twitch*). The takeaway here is: I grew by seeing someone else achieve a goal because it helped give me the extra push, with confidence, to put my idea into action!

#5 Help you figure out a “backwards project plan”

What I mean by this is that if your end goal is to be a published author and you’ve been comparing yourself to the Rachel Hollis’s of the world, then work backwards from their chapter 30 to figure out what their chapter 1 was. 9 times out of 10 you’ll find a website that shares the full history of how someone achieved their current status. Or, you’ll even be able to go back in time and check out that person’s first ever blog post, Instagram post, YouTube video, etc. Gary Vee talks about this all the time. He says that he documents his life so that people can see how he got to where he is. I think that’s just incredible. Don’t be afraid to refer back to someone’s chapter one and definitely don’t feel guilty! I’ve felt loads of guilt throughout my life and when it came to business, and more specifically the building of MY business, I wanted to do everything by myself. I thought that asking for help, looking for inspiration in other people’s work, taking someone’s success story and using it as a project plan was cheating and bad. But hearing people like Gary Vee say that he’s using his success as a blueprint to help others get from A to Z… wow, just wow.

Reframe the word comparison, soul sister. Starting today...starting RIGHT NOW, comparison means ‘getting a sneak peak, a chance to learn something new, the ability to get free inspo, something to give me an extra push, and a way to put together my project plan!’ So go out there and turn your dream into a reality!

#GetItGirl #JustDoIt #YouGotThis