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Hi everyone!
Have you ever started a new hobby—maybe painting, cooking, or running—and then looked at someone on the internet who is amazing at it? You see their beautiful art, their perfect meal, or their fast speed, and you feel a bit sad. You think to yourself, "I will never be that good. Why should I even try?"
When you do this, you are falling into a trap. You are comparing your "Step 1" to someone else’s "Step 10." Today, let’s talk about why that is not fair to you and how to stay happy on your own path.
When you see someone at Step 10, you are only seeing the "final product." You see the gold medal, the big house, or the perfect book. What you don't see is their Step 1, Step 2, and Step 3.
Behind every expert is a long list of:
Mistakes: They probably failed a hundred times before they got it right.
Bad Starts: Their first try probably looked just as messy as yours.
Quiet Days: They spent a lot of time working when no one was watching.
Comparing yourself to them is like walking into a movie theater during the last five minutes of a film and being mad that your own life doesn't have a happy ending yet. You missed the whole story!
2. A Seed is Not a Tree
Imagine planting a tiny apple seed in the ground. On the first day, a little green leaf pops out of the dirt. That is your Step 1.
Now, imagine looking at a giant apple tree that is 50 years old and full of fruit. That is Step 10. Would you yell at the tiny seed for not having apples yet? Of course not! That would be silly. The seed just needs time, water, and sun.
You are that seed. If you keep comparing your one little leaf to the giant tree, you might get sad and stop watering yourself. But if you keep going, you will eventually become a tree, too.
3. Comparison Steals Your Joy
There is a famous saying: "Comparison is the thief of joy." This means that when you look at others to see how you are doing, you stop enjoying your own wins.
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If you ran for 10 minutes today and you feel proud, that is a win! But if you immediately check social media and see someone who ran for two hours, your 10 minutes suddenly feels "small."
But it isn't small! It is 10 minutes more than you did yesterday. That is the only thing that matters.
How to Focus on Your Own Steps
The Trap | The Fix |
Looking at an expert and feeling "bad." | Remember that they were once a beginner, too. |
Thinking you should be perfect right away. | Give yourself permission to be "messy" at the start. |
Checking other people's progress every day. | Focus on being 1% better than you were yesterday. |
Your Only Competition is You
The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.
If you are at Step 1, be the best Step 1 you can be. Learn the basics. Enjoy the feeling of trying something new. Laugh at your mistakes.
The clock is going to keep ticking anyway. If you spend your time practicing, you will eventually reach Step 2, Step 3, and beyond. One day, someone else will look at you and think, "Wow, I wish I was that good."
When that happens, remember to tell them: "Don't worry. This is just my Step 10. I started at Step 1, just like you."
Keep going. Your journey is beautiful exactly as it is.
Until next time, keep taking your own steps!