Compare Your Growth, Not Your Journey

"Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today." - Jordan Peterson

I recently visited a furniture shop where everything was handmade by a very talented craftsman. The tables and chairs were amazing, with intricate designs carved into them. They were polished and the attention to detail was amazing. Anyone would have been proud to own one of their pieces.

Now, put that same block of wood in my hands and you're going to get a completely different result. I am not a gifted carpenter in any way. I can build something simple, which might be functional, but it won't be pretty. I am not in the same league as them, and it could be a little discouraging if I tried to submit some of my work to their shop.

Comparing yourself to someone else is seldom a good idea. If they are doing better, it crushes our spirit. If they are doing worse, it can lull us into a false sense of superiority.

I've heard that you should never compare your beginning to someone else's middle or end. You have no idea how long it took them to get to that point, but it probably didn't happen overnight. With time and effort, you could very likely accomplish similar things—if you are willing to sacrifice for them.

Instead of comparing yourself to someone else, I prefer what Jordan Peterson suggests: compare yourself to who you were yesterday. Are you growing? Maybe it's not a huge jump from one day to the next, but how about this time last month? Or last year?

Personal growth is something to be proud of. Don't get discouraged because you aren't doing as well as someone else because you aren't called to be someone else. You are called to be the best version of "you," not a pale imitation of another.  

Maybe the chapter of your story you are on right now isn't the most exciting and looks nothing like where you wanted it to be. That's ok, as long as you keep going. Very few good stories have an instant positive resolution to them in an early chapter.

Stop comparing yourself and your journey to someone else's. Just make sure who you are today is better than who you were last week. Personal growth is a personal journey! Keep taking it one step at a time!