Dare to embrace the power of comparison without letting it steal your joy? That's the unexpected twist we're exploring on this episode of The Cameo Show. Join me, as I discuss the fine line between unhealthy comparison and the kind of comparison that sparks inspiration and drives us toward personal growth. By sharing insights from my own life and the lessons I've learned from others, I'll show you how to harness this double-edged sword to measure your progress and set your sights higher - without feeling lack!
This episode is not just about self-improvement; it's about learning from those who've walked the path before us. Listen in for an honest conversation that will challenge your perceptions and could potentially reshape your approach to personal and professional ambitions. Let's redefine comparison, together.
Dare to embrace the power of comparison without letting it steal your joy? That's the unexpected twist we're exploring on this episode of The Cameo Show. Join me, as I discuss the fine line between unhealthy comparison and the kind of comparison that sparks inspiration and drives us toward personal growth. By sharing insights from my own life and the lessons I've learned from others, I'll show you how to harness this double-edged sword to measure your progress and set your sights higher - without feeling lack!
This episode is not just about self-improvement; it's about learning from those who've walked the path before us. Listen in for an honest conversation that will challenge your perceptions and could potentially reshape your approach to personal and professional ambitions. Let's redefine comparison, together.
Hello and welcome to the cameo show. I'm your host, cameo, and today's episode is all about comparison, and I might get a little bit of flack for this because I think it's an unpopular opinion, but I want to discuss the positive aspect of comparison as it pertains to inspiration and growth. So Comparison is the thief of joy. We've all seen it, we've all heard it. I'm not saying I don't agree with that. I totally agree.
Speaker 1:
When we use comparison as an unhealthy tool to expose all of the areas that we lack or Make us feel like we aren't good enough, comparison is the thief of joy. We should only be focusing on ourselves and not on anyone else's journey and where they are. But, with that being said, seeing someone else's journey and where they are can be a source of inspiration. For me personally, I feel like, as I've grown more confident in myself and in who I am, picking someone who Maybe I see myself in, maybe I aspire to be like, and using them as a measuring tool, as a metric and Also as an example of things to do or not to do, by studying them, is a healthy way for me to use comparison In a positive way, where we get hung up and where I've been hung up in my life before is when I'm discontent With who I am, where I'm unsure, where I'm insecure and I'm striving to be something or be like someone Because I'm unhappy first with myself. So it is definitely a slippery slope.
Speaker 1:
I can use bodybuilding as an example of both healthy and unhealthy comparison. The whole thing is Comparison with bodybuilding and you really have to stay focused on improving yourself, chiseling out your own body, building the areas that are not developed, staying consistent with your nutrition plan. But you also have to be able to compare yourself to what the desired look is so that you know where those areas that you need to work on are. Otherwise, if there was nothing to compare to, you're aiming in the dark. You have to have some type of standard to compare yourself to as a metric. But that can get really unhealthy really quickly, because if you're constantly Comparing yourself to the next competitor or to what the standard is and you're never happy with the progress that you're making Personally, or you're comparing your journey to someone who's been doing it and has way more experience than you do on stage or Many years of Bodybuilding under their belt, it can feel really quickly like I'm just not good enough. I'm never gonna be able to do this, but if you can keep it healthy, if you can say wow, look at how far that person has come, look at what the standard is, look at what they've been able to achieve by consistency, by their nutrition plan, by building in areas aiming toward the goal. They didn't start there. If I can do that, too Amazing, I feel inspired. I've seen someone else do it, I've seen that it can be done and now I feel Motivated to really see what I'm capable of. The other thing, I think the other side of comparison, the positive aspect of comparison does is allows us to not just feel motivated and inspired, but really learn.
Speaker 1:
There's this podcast that's been around for years. Well, there's several that have been around for years, but there's this one in particular that I'm thinking of. That's a husband and wife. So Greg and I my husband Greg, joins me often on our podcasts, and so this particular podcast is a husband and wife. They landed a multi-million dollar deal with a media company for their podcast. They have Incredible guests not that we don't, but consistently they have 600 episodes and have sponsors all of the things that I hope my podcast eventually has.
Speaker 1:
Right, if I were drawing from the negative element of comparison. I would be like I don't know why I'm doing this. I'm never going to be as good as them, but I use it as a source of inspiration because they had to start somewhere right. What can I learn from them? What can I see that they've done that's been successful? What changes did they make along the way? How can I mimic what they've done and use it as an example without losing who I am and what my goal is, and the element of me, or us, greg and I, that we bring to the table? So I'm not trying to copycat, but I'm trying to use them as an example of something that I can aspire to be and, along the way, remind myself and this is the positive side of that remind myself that they're on episode 600, something and I'm on episode 50 something. They've been doing this quite a bit longer than I have. They have three episodes come out a week. I have one. They didn't always.
Speaker 1:
So comparison in that way allows me to see what can be done, just like I was talking about with bodybuilding. It inspires me to learn more about what I can do and if I can keep that in check, if I can remind myself hey, I'm just starting. They just started somewhere. They're just further along the path than I am. It allows me to see my own personal growth and development. It allows me to pivot and make changes where necessary, but it also gives me an example of what it can look like, and that sets me on fire. That's what wakes me up and makes me want to keep going.
Speaker 1:
Now it is true that there's more than one way to have a successful podcast. There's more than one way to achieve success in bodybuilding. There's more than one way to do things. Everyone's journey is unique. Now you might be thinking well, that sounds great, but what would you tell your kids? Or how do you expect that? I do that. I get really hung up on comparing myself to the mom next door who's feeding your kids all organic, or the mom that shows up to soccer and looks like she has it all together, or my coworker who is accelerating in their career, while I feel like I'm not going anywhere. What works for me and what I would tell my kids, and what I offer to you and invite you to reflect on, is staying focused on measuring your own advancement, based on setting goals about what it looks like when it's done and maybe who you aspire to kind of follow in their footsteps.
Speaker 1:
So if it's that coworker at work, study them. What are they doing that you're not? What small steps can you put in place that can help you attain the level of success that they're seeing? That doesn't mean that you're not doing it right. It doesn't mean that you're bad. It doesn't mean that you're not good enough, but there has to be some differentiating factor.
Speaker 1:
The soccer mom that has it all together. Does she have help? Does she work from home? Everyone's situation is different, so the details are going to be different, but seeing someone able to do it gives you a goal. It gives you the ability to say, gosh, if they can do it, I know I can. What's different here? What small steps can I take right now that can help me move in that direction? What do I see them doing differently than me? What do I see them doing that I can maybe implement more of in my life or eliminate from my life when I see them not doing those things? And then regularly assess your progress? You're not comparing yourself to what happens with your coworker next, or with the soccer mom, or with the mom who gives organic every single meal, every single ingredient. You're comparing you. If the goal was to start implementing more organic and less fast food, how are you doing compared to where you were before, when you made that a focus? You're seeing the other mom do it. That means it's doable. How much faster she gets there than you not your business. But what are the steps that you're taking and assess how you're doing compared to when you started? You started and then comparison to that mom no longer feels like I'm not good enough or I can't do it. It feels like inspiration. It feels like, ok, you're showing me it's possible and now I'm taking action on what is possible and I feel great about it.
Speaker 1:
I understand that comparison can be very negative, it can be self-critical, it can be harmful. In many ways, comparison can steal your own self-satisfaction. But if you have a good grasp on how to use it as a motivational tool, on how to use it to help you set goals, on how to use it to see how far you've come, it can be a really powerful way to grow and develop yourself and show up better every single day. So I hope that this provides a helpful spin on comparison. Again, like I said at the beginning of the episode. I might get a little bit of flak for it. It is maybe a little bit of an unpopular opinion. I am definitely not saying that comparison is only positive. I'm just saying that it isn't only negative and if you can harness that in, it could work for you in a different way. Thank you, as always, for joining and please share. Leave a comment. Let us know what you think about this. If comparison is something that you struggle with and this take on it might help you reframe how it fits into your life.