In this day and age, it's easier than ever to fall into the comparison trap... You know... that vicious cycle of comparing your low moments against other peoples' big wins. On their socials, most people are posting the best moments of their day... And if we see that kind of content when we're at a particularly low point — say, struggling with self-confidence or self-assuredness — it can be a downward spiral into despair. I'm pretty sure all of us are guilty of comparing ourselves to other people... I mean, how could we not!? There's always someone out there who's doing better than us, and too often, it's screaming in our faces. There are a few things I like to tell myself in these moments of low confidence, and today, I want to share them with you. 🔎 I've accomplished a lot in my life, and my work is not yet finished.When I remind myself how well I've done in the past, it boosts my confidence. Which is quite possibly the best treatment when you're feeling like you haven't "made it" yet or that you're in a worse-off position than some of the people you interact with on the internet. Maybe in your life you've graduated from college or landed your dream job or became a parent... Maybe your relationships with your family, friends, and partner are thriving... Or maybe you've finally made the big decision to step out and try something new. These are all accomplishments worth celebrating! If you're in a pit of despair because other peoples' social posts make you feel like you're not as good as them (whatever that means), remember how far you've come... and remind yourself where you're headed. Because chances are, you're on the right path. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today. 🔎 Don't worry about them — they have their fair share of problems, too.A little bit of empathy goes a long way. Sharing your weaknesses, failures, and problems can be authentic... and authenticity is praised on social media. But the reality is, nobody lists out all their problems when they're posting content on social media. You might know some people who are constantly posting their sob stories on social... And what do you end up doing? Either silencing or blocking them! If you sat down with someone who's consistently sharing his or her wins on social — like, $10K months or getting on some high-profile creator's podcast — chances are, it wouldn't take much prying to get them to talk about their insecurities. We all have lots and lots of problems. When you're in the social media realm, you only get one vantage point: you're looking in from the outside. Deep down, each of us are facing our own demons. The people who are winning big are also fighting for their physical, mental, and spiritual health. 🔎 I am running my own race at my own pace.Different people have different skill sets, goals, missions, visions, strengths, and weaknesses. If you're a first-time entrepreneur, it's a waste of time (and a self-sabotaging practice) to compare yourself against a serial entrepreneur. Serial entrepreneurs are many, many steps ahead of first-timers... They've made mistakes, gained wisdom, and built multiple businesses. Simply put, a first-time entrepreneur MUST move at a different pace than a serial entrepreneur. Now this doesn't mean we shouldn't challenge ourselves to put more effort into running the race. I'm all for full-blown effort. What it means is an 18-year-old sprinter is not a match against an 80-year-old marathon runner. Comparing apples to oranges is a futile exercise. You know where the waypoints are on your journey. Be sure to hit each of them in a timely fashion. They say comparison is the thief of joy... and I believe that's true. But that platitude isn't particularly helpful. It's difficult NOT to compare yourself against other people... isn't it? As human beings, we naturally size ourselves up against others. Biologically, it has something to with our desire to establish dominance. Do yourself a favor. Go out there and dominate your mission without giving much regard to other peoples' wins. Have a great week ahead! —Neil |
CreatorFocus™ is a weekly digital publication that's designed to help digital writers handle the typical creative blocks we all face, like burnout, procrastination, and distraction. It's designed for realistic people who know the rewards of being a creator come with longevity and self-improvement. New editions released frequently.
When you choose to build a personal brand or online business, you're inviting self-doubt into your life. As though you didn't have enough self-doubt BEFORE you became an entrepreneur... Now, you've got more than enough to share. Some days, it feels like you're on top of the world... Any challenge or obstacle that comes your way... you're ready to handle it. But other times, there's this voice inside your head that says: "You can't do this, why are you even trying?" Too often, I find myself...
For the past couple weeks, I've been diving head-first into cold outreach. It's something I shied away for a long time... Because I thought I didn't need to do it. I thought I could "reposition" myself on Twitter and warm inbound leads would come flooding in. Despite my efforts, that never happened. With my recent cold outreach efforts, I've had some good response so far (and I expect to get much more). Here are a few lessons I'm learning: 1/ Cold outreach works Anyone who says cold outreach...
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