We are confronted by the crazy standards set by the world on a daily basis. The fashion industry bombards us with their perception of perfection, and the rich and famous consistently flash their lavish lifestyles on social media.
We develop insecurities because we continue to compare ourselves to these ridiculous standards, missing the beauty of others and tragically our own value as a result. We tend to lose hope and confidence when we continue to pursue these fake and absurd ideals, and we easily end up focusing on our areas of weakness and shortcomings more than anything else.
I want to introduce you to another kind of comparison – the Healthy Comparison.
Looking at yourself and those around you, you will notice immediately that nobody thinks, feels or behaves the same way in any given situation. The good news is that you are not supposed to either! You might look at how someone else handles a tough situation with calmness and grace, and end up wishing you knew how to do that. Or how your best friend has the ability to speak to an audience without any fear, while you break out in a sweat at the mere thought!
When you continue to focus on what you lack, you cannot play to your strengths and you are most likely going to experience feelings of anxiety, frustration or boredom.
This calls for the healthy comparison. Instead of placing your focus on the areas where you are seemingly short on a specific talent, rather contribute to areas where YOUR talent shines through!
When you bring your awesomeness to the table, chances are high that your contribution will add real value and you will feel good on many levels. When you follow this approach, you can
- Strengthen relationships, teams and partnerships;
- Enlarge your capacity for goal achievement;
- Accelerate progress and
- Experience happiness and more moments “in the zone”
You may wonder what your talents are, or perhaps you already have clues. There are 3 things to consider that may help to determine this:
- What excited you as a child?
- When do you lose track of time?
- What do you yearn to do?
Consider any well-known talented person and you will also see someone who mostly focus on their talent. They pace their time and energy into developing their talent. Sure, they also have to grow, practice and overcome things, BUT they will grow and develop more in these areas as compared to their weaknesses.
Should you ignore your weakness? Not at all, but that is a topic for another day.