impostor syndrome
Comparison is a fundamental tool that we have all used, and thus it is a very broad term. It can serve as both a great stylistic choice for communication and a machine of mental war. How can we use it to give us an advantage?
Comparing things against each other is normal and unforgiving, the curse starts unveiling whenever the object of comparison is you. It’s the basis of jealousy or greed, and has a great impact on your self-esteem and motivation.
The rule is simple, never compare yourself to others. Most of what you’ve seen in those motivational posts and quotes on social media is in fact true, comparing yourself to others leads to negative effects down the line. This phenomenon can be observed no matter if you think of the person highly, or poorly.
If you compare yourself to a person that is deeper in the subject than you are, you might develop a sense of jealousy. This can ultimately lead to a mental state of discomfort, the feeling you can never be as good as them. Instead of saying that they are objectively better, you should think of them as someone who invested more time into the subject, or had a head start - a talent. The takeaway, is that no matter how good someone is, you should focus on yourself, if you put in enough time you can surpass basically anyone - which in most cases isn’t the goal.
On the other hand comparing yourself to people you don’t think well of can hurt in a more slow-paced way. By frequently comparing yourself to others you might lose motivation to keep going. You may start to feel comfortable to settle on your skill level and halt your journey all together.
Comparing is both one of the strongest linguistic tools, and a tool that can hurt you mentally. A filter for intrusive comparison thoughts or remarks is something everyone should develop. Of course this is just my personal opinion, based on my experiences, although i believe most of the readers had a unanimous experience before.
Thanks for reading! -Michał
