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What is one tip to help stop comparing yourself to others?
To help you stop comparing yourself to others, we asked personal coaches and thought leaders this question for their best advice. From practicing gratitude to asking yourself questions that challenge you, there are several things you may put into practice to help you stop comparing yourself to others.
Here are 12 tips to stop comparing yourself to others:
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Practice Gratitude
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Look Back and Count Your Gains
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Admire Your Differences Instead
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Override Your Dissatisfaction With Positive Affirmations
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Celebrate Others
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Take a Break from Social Media
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Remember Everyone Has Their Challenges
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Identify and Celebrate Your Own Strengths
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Practise Meditation To Stay Grounded in Yourself
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Focus on Your Own Personal Growth
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Choose To Practise Good Values
Ask Yourself Questions That Challenge You
Practice Gratitude
When you regularly practice gratitude, you don’t have time to focus on what others have. You’re not inclined to compare yourself to them or think about what you lack. With a gratitude mindset, you’re focused on what you have, and how appreciative you are of having it. Gratitude resets your mind and redirects your energy towards building up more of what you already have rather than trying to catch up to someone else. — Chris Abrams, Abrams Insurance Solutions
Look Back and Count your Gains
It’s easier said than done, but try thinking about or even making a list of the things you used to want that you have or are closer to having now. For example, maybe 10 years ago you wanted to be moving up in your career and getting closer to buying a house. Rather than beating yourself up about what your friend or that person on Instagram is doing, ask yourself what you’ve already achieved that a past version of you would be proud of, or what you’ve learned that a younger version of you didn’t understand.
When you frame challenges and comparisons this way, you’re not only able to see your strengths and what you’re capable of much more clearly, but you’re also setting yourself up to be a better version of yourself as opposed to a better version of someone else. — Gigi Ji, KOKOLU
Admire your Differences instead
When you compare yourself to others, you mentally put yourself below them. You convince yourself that you don’t have something that someone else does have and you take your power away. But, if you admire your differences instead of comparing them, you put positive energy out into the world and that gives you the power.
The power to appreciate what you have, the power to learn from what others have, and the power to choose how you view the world and yourself in it. It’s easier to be positive than to be negative, so take the easy and healthy route and admire someone instead of comparing yourself to them. –– Staci Brinkman, Sips by
Override your Dissatisfaction with Positive Affirmations
Drown out the comparisons with positive affirmations. The moment that you start to compare yourself to someone, think of something that you do well and tell yourself that instead. It’s a simple trick, but over time, your mind gets the idea and will stop seeing yourself as less than, and instead as equal to, and the comparisons will fall away. It will take time, and it feels funny at first, but it’s a reminder that we’re our harshest critic, instead of our greatest support, and the latter takes practice. — Tony Staehelin, Benable
Celebrate Others
Many people do compare themselves to others these days and that tends to make them more self-absorbed. One way to stop that attitude is to celebrate others’ achievements. You can avoid the comparison syndrome by focusing on other people and learning to be happy for them in their moments. This can take some practice. It may not feel good at first because many are motivated to draw attention to themselves. However, you will care less about where you stand in society the more you learn to focus on other people. Focusing on others will make you happier and then the comparisons don’t have as much power over you. — Bruce Tasios, Tasios Orthodontics
Take a Break from Social Media
My top tip to stop comparing yourself to others is to take a break from social media. Social media is likely only one place you compare yourself to others, but it’s a big one. If you scroll on your phone for a few hours a day and in that time, feel bad about yourself, it’s time to take a break. Disconnect from social media for a bit and focus on yourself! If you choose to get back on social media, unfollow anyone who makes you feel bad about yourself. — Macy Sarbacker, Macy Michelle
Remember Everyone has their Challenges
Comparing yourself to others is fruitless because everyone has their own set of challenges. These challenges are often not visible to those on the outside. Individuals can never hope to know the struggles of others by comparing themselves to the success they see on the surface.
Wanting what others have lacks perspective because we often do not know what other people are carrying with them. A successful executive may appear to have a wealthy lifestyle when in reality they have the misfortune of tumultuous family life or chronic illness. Comparing yourself to others is pointless when you are unaware of what others are truly dealing with. — Katy Carrigan, Goody
Identify and Celebrate your own Strengths
Whether in your personal or professional lives, no one possesses the same skill sets. That’s why, in business, most leaders are after a team of unique, diverse individuals who all have different talents to bring to the table. But to finally stop comparing yourself to others, it’s crucial to understand and celebrate your own strengths. As Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” — Mark Sider, Greater Than
Practise Meditation to stay Grounded in Yourself
Use meditation as a tool to understand your thoughts and prevent them from controlling your perspective of yourself. Stillness and calmness are wonderful teachers for showing us what thoughts, feelings, and experiences pop up inside us.
When we find ourselves comparing our worth or experiences to others, we have an opportunity to turn inward and examine the insecurities or disappointments we have with our own life and lifestyle. Why do I feel bad or lesser from observing someone else’s celebration? Having a basic understanding of your psychology and emotional state is key to reversing negative thinking habits and stabilizing your self-worth.
The ways we consume other people’s experiences are often illusory. When you have a solid handle on your own worth, perspectives, and experiences, you can celebrate others’ victories while remaining comfortably grounded in the self. — Shawn Munoz, Pure Relief
Focus on your own Personal Growth
One of the best things you can do to stop comparing yourself to others is to focus on your own personal growth. Set your own goals and work towards them, rather than compare yourself to others who may be further ahead than you. By doing this, you’ll stay motivated and inspired to keep growing, rather than feeling discouraged. Keep in mind that everyone is on their own unique journey, so focus on your own path and don’t compare yourself to anyone else. — Syed Ali Abbas, Seo Perks
Choose to Practise Good Values
Shift your focus inward by choosing good core values to practice in life. When selecting core values, make sure they are reality-based, immediate, and controllable. If you know your values, you will focus on your own journey. This will help you feel more positive about yourself and less focused on what others are doing. You will be less likely to contemplate others’ business and just concentrate on the things you care about like your goals, growth, and personal development. — Matt Post, WCAG Pros
Ask yourself Questions that Challenge you
One tip to help stop comparing yourself to others is to think about what you’re really gaining by doing so. Usually, when we compare ourselves to others, we’re only focusing on the things that make us look bad in comparison. We forget about all of the good qualities we have. So try to shift your focus and think about the things you’re gaining by comparing yourself to others.
Are you feeling better about yourself? Are you more motivated to do better? Are you more confident? If the answer is yes, then keep comparing yourself. If the answer is no, then it might be time to stop. — Petri Maatta, DreamMaker
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