Chris Mance II - Mental Skills Coach

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that “comparison is the thief of joy” at one time or another. While this saying sounds good, it’s not 100% accurate. Some people do get joy out of comparing themselves to someone who has less or who has done less competitively. This type of comparison may even make someone feel better when they didn’t reach their ultimate goal.

However, just because comparison is not a thief of joy in many cases, that doesn’t make it a good habit. In fact, I would say it’s a bad habit even when it makes you feel better because of how unproductive the act of comparing truly is. Any feelings of satisfaction you get out of comparing yourself to someone who has less or who has done less competitively is a false since of satisfaction.

The reality is one person’s success may be another’s first step to success. Likewise, what one person may see as a failure may be a success to another person. While it may be intellectually stimulating to learn about other people’s successes and failures, it’s unproductive to compare these stories to you or anyone else.

No two success stories or failures deal with the same underlying circumstances. No two people start from the same starting line, and there is no way to know if another person’s finish line was the finish line they defined as the vision for their success.

Your journey is your journey. Avoid comparing not because it’s the thief of joy, but because it will give you a false sense of reality.