Outdo your former self

After a forced break from the gym during the Coronavirus lockdown, a curious thing happened.  Once the restrictions lifted, and the green light was given to go back to the gym, it felt a bit different going back. The time away brought to light some feelings that used to come up during daily gym workouts.  The realization came that often, going to the gym invited comparisons with other athletes there—and brought up feelings of being “less than.”

Compare and despair

Of course you say to yourself that, logically, you shouldn’t do that to yourself. But often feelings can’t be dismissed simply because they don’t make sense. Often we walk into the gym, and just start checking other people out, with our supercomputer brains whirring away and storing all the evidence stacked against ourselves. When you start focusing on what other people can do, their skill set, wealth, or success—this can make you feel unaccomplished, or even disliking who you are and what you can do—comparing and despairing. It is great if you can use this feeling as a catalyst for change and purpose, but often it will turn against you, demotivate you, and rob you of any momentum you have.

Tweaking the comparison phenomenon

Maybe there is a way we can give this phenomenon a tweak, so that it works a little more in our favor. Assessing other people, in comparison to yourself, can be empowering, motivating, and a beneficial way to learn. Visual learning and admiration is a great path to skill acquisition, and a potentially virtuous way to orient yourself in the world. “Who do I look up to?” and “What character traits or skill sets am I inspired by?” are both great questions to ask on the road to figuring out who you want to be, and what you want to work towards. 

You vs You

We think that you should assess what trades and skills motivate and inspire you, and use this as a compass that later can become your “Why”. When you have done this, then stop comparing yourself to others—because it is non-productive, and it does not take significant variables into account like luck, time spent, and how these people compare in other dimensions than the one you singled out for comparison. 

Set a goal, make a plan, and stop looking at others for a while. Focus instead on outdoing your former self—you vs you. If you can be a little bit better than last week, you are making progress. Do this for a couple of years, and you have made an enormous change. People often overestimate what they can do in 12 weeks, but underestimate what they can accomplish in two years. 

Good luck, and get after it! It’s you vs you!

Scott and Lennart