#92 Comparing Yourself

Who do you look to for inspiration? You see the habits they keep, the standards they set, and how they execute. Looking to others for inspiration is okay in my book, but have you fallen into the trap of constantly comparing yourself to others?

Compare Yourself

Compare yourself to yesterday. What can I build on from yesterday? What can I build on in regard to my diet, life, and my job? It’s that simple. Or, what did I not do well yesterday that I can improve upon today?

Take last night for example. I had Reese Cups as my spike, but the night before I didn’t. I'm thinking to myself, "Damn G, I couldn't resist the fucking Reese Cups.” I'm comparing myself to yesterday.

Journaling

I started journaling again. I want to write out my goals, read them aloud, see them, and then start putting the pieces together. Implementing this practice has made a huge difference over the past few weeks.

Evaluate the previous day to see what you can improve upon. Can you better define your goals? Can you write them out more clearly? These are great questions to ask yourself on a regular basis to ensure that you are moving in the right direction.

Paying Attention

I think about the relationship with my wife, Rachel. Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t do a great job of listening. This is something I know that I must get better with. It’s something that I must improve with both my wife and my kids, especially when my businesses get crazy.

Self-awareness is the key. Can you ask yourself, "Today, can I be a little bit more present than I was yesterday? Can I be a little bit more attentive than I was yesterday?"

Yesterday to Today

Incremental progress, day over day. Small, consistent improvements will take you to the next level. You just have to be willing to push and put the work in. What do small daily actions and improvements yield? Momentum. Momentum with your goals, momentum physically and mentally, and positive momentum with your relationships. That’s how I dissect it.

If you have a string of bad habits going, you must reassess. What are you eating? What kind of content are you consuming? How are your relationships? Run the evaluation your life needs, then identify where you can improve.

Changing Everything?

The thought of, “I need to change everything,” can be daunting. To think that you can change everything at the same time is completely against human nature, in my opinion. In the vast majority of cases, the transition must be more mild or gradual. Don't be so hard on yourself. Focus on 1% improvement each day, as James Clear would say. It’s easy to get caught up comparing yourself to this person or that person. It’s easy to focus on what you don’t have.

Be inspired and take ideas. Be inspired by those that exude true discipline, but don’t beat yourself into the ground on week one. Just know that you can’t go zero to one hundred in no time. It took a long time to get to the level I’m at. Look, my mom used to have to spray me in the face with a water bottle to get me up for school. I wasn’t waking up at 3:00am. I wasn’t disciplined. It took time.

Evolution. Evolution of time, my why’s, and a deep passion for what I do. Wins and losses litter the roadway to success.

It’s Real

The resistance is real. The depression is real. The situation is real. And sometimes, it feels like you just can't seem to get it over the edge. Some people see the holding pattern as a place where you’re not getting better. They may think you’re getting worse if you’re not getting better. I disagree. Sometimes you have to live there in the struggle to finally get that breakthrough. There's something that moves the needle for you. There's something that allows you to say, "Nope, now it's time to fucking tighten it down."

Everybody's different, but the needle needs to move. When people lose 30, 80, or 100 pounds, something is clicking. The puzzle pieces are starting to make more sense. They discovered something to put them in the mind frame they needed to get the result they want.