Scrolling on Facebook there she is again, revelling in yet another successful launch, smashing through her targets and celebrating her success.
You snoop around her social profiles……
You have a sneaky look at her perfectly put together website.
The sales pages look amazing!
The photography…..she’s nailed it.
Totally. Nailed it.
No matter how hard you try and avoid it there’s a pang of jealousy, envy and complete awe of how she’s doing it.
It looks like she’s got it all worked out and you’re left wondering “what am I doing wrong?”
If you can recall moments of doing similar things then it’s highly likely you’ve succumb to Comparisonitis.
Comparisonitis is the need to compare yourself — and your accomplishments — to those of others.
Are you clever enough?
Are you capable enough?
Are you skilled enough?
The fact is that it doesn’t really matter because your opinion isn’t actually an honest evaluation of who you really are and what success you’ve achieved to date.
Whether you think you’re not clever, skilled or capable enough doesn’t really matter because comparisonitis is rooted in your own self-worth.
What we know today as the entrepreneurial disease “comparisonitis” actually has it’s roots in Social Comparison Theory which was developed by Leon Festinger way back in the 1950s.
He suggested that we determine our worth by looking at the achievements of others.
Festinger acknowledged that comparing ourselves to others can, in some instances drive us forward and fuel our ambition but it also something that can create really strong feelings of dissatisfaction and eventually burnout when we keep going to do the same things as we see others do.
Social Media Danger Zone
According to Psychology Today, 10% of your daily thoughts involve comparisons of some kind and with the increasing opportunities to do business online it’s so much easier to compare your achievements with someone else’s carefully curated social media feeds that can providing you with countless images and stories of who you should and shouldn’t be.
Comparisonitis is incredibly common amongst entrepreneurs. Far more so for women than men (see this study: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.815619/full) so here’s 3 things that you can do to kick comparisonitis into touch so that you can focus on your own success.
You’re comparing your reality with an unrealistic version of the truth.
When you’re looking at other people’s social media, website and whatever other marketing they put out there into the world it’s a projection of what they want the world to see. And, the reality is we all want to project an impression of success!
Every single business owner will have had tough times, had launches that haven’t gone well, had products that didn’t sell or events that didn’t sell out. You don’t see any of that when you simply look at their marketing and they’re never going to market themselves based on a message like….”buy this course now because I only sold two last time!”.
That image you’re comparing your reality with isn’t the whole picture.
The long game is important.
Expecting your business to be as successful as someone who’s been in business for much longer is also a killer when it comes to your own success.
Remember that business is a long game so even when you’re comparing yourself to someone who’s been in business for the same duration as you they may seem to be miles ahead of you now but that isn’t necessarily the way things will be forever.
Successful businesses are built on solid foundations.
You are your only comparison.
Just take a moment to check in on how far you’ve come and focus on getting your foundations right.
Limiting your success.
The simple act of focusing or maybe stalking others’ progress and seemingly successful businesses means that you’re taking your eye off the ball and limiting your own success.
It’s the same as looking over your shoulder when you’re running a race, it’s distracting and stops you focusing on what’s ahead where you might trip over something you’d not seen and be completely out of the running!
By focusing on a competitor you’re in danger of loosing your uniqueness because you’ll inadvertently copy their message, their style and going back to the first point, you don’t *really* know whether their strategy is working.
Comparing yourself to others is not only stifling your success but it’s emotionally draining. It zaps your energy and is, quite honestly, a pointless exercise.
The world is a very big place and there’s plenty of room and work for everyone. Focus on building a business that you’re super proud of and gives you the freedom you want stop comparing yourself.
You are unique and amazing as you are and no one can copy you!
If you’d like to work on getting focused and staying in your own lane without comparing yourself to others then drop me an email at del@delparsonscoaching.co.uk or book a free 30 minute call with me here where we can talk about how I can help you achieve the next level of success you’re looking for.
