Compare Yourself To The ‘Old You’ Instead Of Others To Stay Positive

When you’re working hard to change a habit, develop a skill or achieve a personal goal, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others. Doing so can bring you down or breed hateful thoughts, however, so you’re better off comparing yourself to someone you know you’ve surpassed: the old you.

Picture: JD Hancock/Flickr

Different personalities compare themselves to others in different ways. Some folks see someone who is better than them and take it as a challenge, or a driving factor that motivates them. Others will see someone who is better and it becomes a negative factor for them. Discouraging thoughts of, “I’ll never be that good” or “I hate them because they’re better” creep into their mind. If you’re more like the second type of person, Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog recommends only comparing yourself to yourself:

Instead of comparing yourself to other people create the habit of comparing yourself to yourself. See how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what progress you have made towards your goals. This habit has the benefit of creating gratitude, appreciation and kindness towards yourself as you observe how far you have come, the obstacles you have overcome and the good stuff you have done. You feel good about yourself without having to think less of other people.

Even if you find motivation by comparing yourself to others, taking the time to see how much better of a person you are now as opposed to how you were in the past is a healthy way to stay motivated. It never hurts to avoid thinking less of others, either. Remember that you’re trying to make a positive change for yourself, not create negative feelings about others.

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others (and Start Empowering Yourself) [The Positivity Blog]