“Comparison is the Thief of Joy” is one of my favorite quotes. It’s accredited to President Theodore Roosevelt. So, stop comparing yourself to others.
We live in a world that is focused on celebrity and fame. The beauty industry tells us how we are supposed to look. If you’re a woman who is five feet six inches tall, it’s hard to look like a blond, Scandinavian model that is six feet tall and weighs 120 pounds. But, speaking from experience, that’s what we do!
The sad truth is that many images are illusions. Thanks to Photo Shop, bodies, even naturally thin, can be whittled down more and all of the flaws and imperfections removed. So, is the image we are looking at real any way?
Social media has fueled this preoccupation with what everyone is doing. It’s easy to compare our lives to others. When we compare our knowledge, talents and looks to others, we rob ourselves of joy. That joy resides in the fact that each of us was uniquely created. No two people are alike.
In Step 4 we talked about focusing on your strengths. When we focus on our dream, goal or project, we should be using our strengths to accomplish this.
As you focus on your life and your life’s purpose, understand that you have unique talents and gifts to offer to world. There is only one you!
While it is good to do market research and check out what others are doing so that you can uniquely position yourself, don’t lose your focus on moving your goals and dreams forward. In our last step we addressed locking out doubts and fears. When we compare ourselves to others, we can allow doubts and fears to creep in. Our critic’s voice can say:
“Look at how many Facebook followers they have. I’ll never get that many!”
“They’ve written 10 books, I haven’t even written one!”
“Look at the Fortune 500 companies they work with, I’ll never be able to do that.”
Everyone starts from the beginning. As you take action steps each day, focus on your plan, and lock out doubts and fears, you will make progress.
This will bring us to Step 10 – Listen to What Expands You
Step 1 – You Have to Have a Plan
Step 2 – Take Action on your Plan in Small Steps Every Day
Step 3 – Don’t have an all or Nothing Attitude
Step 4 – Focus on Your Strengths
Step 5 – Meditate or Think on your Plan
Step 6 – Get rid of Distractions
Step 7 – Review your Plan at the End of the Day
Step 8 – Lock Out Doubts and Fears
Until next time…. Stay focused!
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