Comparing yourself to others?

Hey champ,

Every time I send out my weekly letter, I get about 50 responses from people who tell me something akin to this:

“You are incredible. I could never do what you have done”.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s lovely to hear, and my ego is growing uncontrollably – just ask Michael! ?

But there’s something about these particular statements that I’m not ok with.

This is my concern:
Sometimes, when someone with a story like mine gets portrayed in the media, there can be this comparison that people make.

They think “Oh well, she or he can do that because they’re naturally motivated, or have more willpower than me or they’re just born that way. I could never do what they have because I’m just not like that”.

Here’s the truth.

Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m not “naturally motivated”. I’m not just “born this way”.

I fail, all the time. I’ve lost money on stupid business decisions, launched projects before they were ready, given up on training sessions and taken way longer to achieve some things than I intended. Some goals I’ve set and have just never completed.

In the last week alone, I’ve felt scared, I’ve binge eaten ice cream in my underwear, I’ve worried that I’m a terrible mother and a bad daughter.

But, I’ve also achieved so much:

I got through the fire, and recovery (an ongoing process), I’ve completed two Ironman comps, competed in ultra-marathons, raised stacks of money for charity, started and scaled a thriving business, been a good mother to my son (I mean, he is fed and clean! ?) and written books I’m really proud of.

The point is, we all feel like we can’t do things and that we’re not capable of achieving what we want because we’re not “born that way”.

But no one is!

The only difference comes from changing your mindset.

Why don’t you prove me right?

Next time you feel like you don’t stack up or like you’re “less than”, try this:

1. Make a list of all the things you’ve done that you’d consider a failure.

2. Then make a list of all the things that you’re proud of – things you’ve achieved, people you’ve helped, projects you’ve completed.

Now, this is HARD to do. And I bet you’ll find that the failures pop up more easily than the achievements.

But focus on that list of accomplishments. Write down EVERYTHING that you’re proud of. It might take five mins, or you might want to come back to it over a few days. If you can’t think of what to write – ask a supportive friend or family member to help you remember all the good things you’ve done.

Once you have your lists, look at them both. Sure, there is evidence that you’ve failed. But you’ve succeeded too.

Congratulations! You’re human. Welcome to the party.

Remember, we all have the same capacity to achieve the most extraordinary things. You’ve just gotta get your mind on board. – Tweet it!

Let me know how you found making these two lists, in the comments below.

Turia xx

PS – I’ve got stacks more mindset-shaping strategies like this inside my eBook Mindset Magic.  Check it out here.