We compare ourselves to others everywhere, every day.

Have you noticed how you feel when you compare yourself to others? Is comparison and competition making you crazy?

It’s a really blustery day here in Nova Scotia. The rain is on its way but for now it’s warm and windy. A wind gust caught me and I found myself walking. It’s funny how that happens. With no apparent conscious thought or decision, I walk. I hear the stories running around inside my head, telling me why my legs feel heavy or why my hamstring is tight. I’m looking for a logical reason why my run is less than stellar today. “It was the bike ride yesterday” or “You haven’t eaten enough”.

I chose to listen to the ache and heaviness in my legs and cut my run short. I gave myself permission to walk when I needed. I caught myself feeling like I was “soldiering on”. But what if I don’t have to soldier on? What if I simply choose to “pause” in my running and give myself a break?

This is all a metaphor for my life. I am in the process of building a business from scratch. I have no experience with this. I’m only just beginning to get comfortable with the notion that I’m a salesperson (even writing that feels icky). I have no experience with getting clients, building an online presence. I constantly look around at all the “successful” people around me, having built their businesses, and I hold the notion that it was easy for them. This, despite the fact that I’ve spoken with many of them and they all say it takes time, it takes work and it’s definitely not easy. That said it can be FUN!

When I catch myself telling myself that I can’t do it, that I should “get a job”, I remind myself that I am NOT willing to give up on myself.

When I find myself comparing myself to others and I see how much “work” and effort they put into their business, I remind myself that I will get out of it what I put into it and if that means it takes longer, it’s the choice I make. Then I remind myself that if I want to build my business faster, I need to make different choices. That’s it, in a nutshell! Do I want to make a different choice?

If I relax into where I am, in this moment, and ask “do I love my life?” the answer is a resounding YES! Right, so why, then, do I continuously beat myself up and compare myself to others? Where does it get me? Frustrated, that’s where!! As I choose to relax and know I’m exactly where I need to be, there is no comparison in that and THAT feels EASY and FUN! And, now, I feel my body settle…

I help my clients tune into their body; to breathe and relax; to tune out their intellect so their internal cues can guide them. If you’re tired of making yourself crazy by constantly comparing and competing, book your free 15 minute discovery call with me.

Kathryn