“The Weight of Comparison: Overcoming Emotional Instability in the Face of Societal Pressure”
Like I told you on the previous article that “YOU ARE ENOUGH” so there is no need to be self-doubtful. But it’s hard to believe that because you’re still stuck in a cycle of self-doubt.
Let’s discuss with an illustration, how comparison is one of the things that keep you stuck in a cycle of Self-Doubt.
Meet Sarah, John, and Emily, three friends in their late-twenties.
Sarah is a free-spirited artist, aiming to travel the world and showcase her paintings in galleries. Her goal is to live a flexible, creative life.
Maxwell is a driven entrepreneur, working towards launching his own tech startup. He wants to build a successful business and become a industry leader.
Bibby is a dedicated teacher, focused on making a difference in her students’ lives. Her goal is to become a principal and shape the education system.
Each of them has unique goals, priorities, and definitions of success.
Sarah Sarah’s socioeconomic background impacts her journey as an artist which gave her the need to prioritize a day job or other responsibilities, leaving little time and energy for her art but Maxwell and Bibby are from more privileged backgrounds, and that gave them a better edge for the goals.
Now here’s why Sarah shouldn’t compare herself to John and Emily:
1. Different priorities: Sarah values creativity and flexibility, while Maxwell prioritizes business success and Bibby focuses on education. Comparing herself to others with different priorities would lead to unfair self-evaluation.
2. Unique goals: Comparing her progress to others with distinct goals would be apples-to-oranges.
3. Different measures of success: Sarah’s success is defined by her art’s impact and freedom to travel, while Maxwell’s is measured by his business’s growth and Bibby’s by her students’ progress. Comparing herself to others with different success metrics would lead to confusion and dissatisfaction.
4. Unfair self-evaluation: Comparing herself to others with different strengths, weaknesses, and experiences would lead Sarah to doubt her own abilities and discount her accomplishments.
We will look at celebrating your wins on our next chapter. Stay tuned.
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