Comparison: The Thief of Joy

Master Comparison - am I good enough?

How much time have you spent contemplating, mulling, reasoning, planning, and re-planning this year? At some stage in your career, you've probably felt like you're not good enough. No matter how hard you work, sometimes the doubt sneaks in...am I good enough? Am I succeeding in what I’m doing? Will I be good enough in the undoubtedly difficult months to follow? And then you make the biggest mistake: you start to compare yourself with others.

Theodore Roosevelt said: "Comparison is the thief of joy". Always thinking that you will never be as good as the master of your trade will keep you awake for nights, and it will hamper your optimal performance. I’m not saying you must stop comparing yourself to the masters; comparison also means pushing yourself to perform better. I want to say to you, for peace of mind - you will never be as good as them. Accept that for healthier work life.

No matter how hard you work and how much time you put into your trade, there is a reason why they are called masters. And that is OK...really. The modern-day masters are the leaders of their industries. You need to be inspired by these magnificent and brilliant people. Learn their principles and follow the steps to success from there.

I've suffered from comparaphobia (yeah, just made that word up) for years. Now, if I'm stuck on a certain project, I look at the leaders in my industry (see https://www.youtube.com/TEDxTalks) for the best talks relating to my industry and I follow their advice. I also turn to them for inspiration and motivation. After all, they are the masters!

Thinking (comparing) that you will never be good enough will stop you from succeeding and you will be very unhappy. It also means you don’t realise how good and successful you and your company are. It robs you of giving yourself a tap on the back and saying, you made it, all is good, and you are good enough. If you can’t have that joy, who will afford it to you?

How will the leaders in your industry inspire and help you today? Because researching, learning from leaders and taking the steps to succeed will make you more productive and much happier than master comparison.

Written By: Joh-Mari van Heerden