Are peers achieving more than you?
“Don’t compare yourself to others” I read that somewhere… and I completely disagree.
You HAVE to compare yourself to others… Especially when you’re young. That’s how you know where you rank. Think of it like sports… if you’re the best at your school, how do you compare against others in your conference? If you’re the best in the conference, how do you compare to others in the state? In the nation? If laziness is the mother of invention, then comparison is the mother of competition.
There are so many talented young people that are accomplishing amazing things. These are the people to follow. And watch. And reach out to… Because these are the people who will be the “movers and shakers” of tomorrow.
Don’t compare specific success levels with them… Compare yourself to them so
that you know what is possible. Before the 4 minute mile was broken, people thought it was impossible. In fact, some scientists tried to prove that it was impossible. But after Roger Bannister broke it, many others quickly followed. Why is that? Because it was a mental shift. Runners could now say, “If he can do it, I can do it.”
It’s easy to use the “I’m too young to do that” excuse… until you look at what others have achieved. Then you realize that there is no excuse. Just action… or inaction.
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Thanks for the shout out man!
You’re totally right. Unfortunately the world is filled with mediocrity. It’s great to have friends like YOU around that constantly help push to the next level.
Good advice Andy; as always.
Competition is the basis of innovation and new ideas. By seeing what my peers are doing I can assess my own situation and think of ways to come out ahead or keep pace. Great post!
Thanks guys!
Thanks for the plug. Ironically, I struggle with the notion of being a failure, while you’re flagging my blog as being written by a high achiever. Goes to show that what you think of yourself is not necessarily how others see you
Thanks for the link. I have to say that my problem is usually not comparison with my peers. Rather I end up competing against myself which I think is harder to overcome.
Thanks for stroking my blogger ego, Andy. You’re the man!
Thanks for stopping by everyone - My blogroll is completely out of date; I’ll be updating it soon with all of your information.
That has to be the most aggressive and interesting linking that I’ve ever seen. Kudos!
Tim - I’d love to take credit for the idea… but I actually stole it from Ryan Karpeles. (His link is on the word ‘young.’)
http://ryankarpeles.blogspot.com/2007/07/link-baiting-alert-and-big-fat-thank.html
See why I constantly read all of you?
I agree with Tim. That was some strong linking there. I especially like the “movers and shakers” portion that nicely references Ryan & Ryan. Good use of the “and” there :-p
Thanks for the compliment, too! Did you ever answer my last e-mail, or was it me who was neglecting responses?
It looks like I’m a bit late to the party, but thanks!
I agree that looking around is what pushes you to the next level. Think about it - when you’re a senior in high school, you think you’re tops. Then you start college, see those around you are more motivated than your high school peers and you up your game. Same goes when you start your career.
I constantly compare myself to my peers. It is friendly competition of course, but it really drives me and makes me want to keep pushing.
Look forward to competing with you
- Jun