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Happy Monday, ya’ll! This is the second installment of Motivation Monday and I’m talking about one of the things that makes me the most frustrated/stressed– Competition & Comparison.

Growing up I never considered myself a competitive person. I competed in dance and cheerleading and I was never one to get too emotional about a win or a loose, I was always in it for the fun of things. Same with academics, I never cared how my grades compared to my friends or whether or not I was at the top of my class, just that I did well enough per my own standards. However, now that I’m working full-time I’ve found that I’ve become more competitive than I ever thought possible.

Now, I still don’t think I’m the most competitive person, but I’ve definitely surprised myself with this change in mindset. So, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking why I’ve suddenly become a competitive person? And I think there are a bajillion factors (I’m in a competitive industry, social media gives you a peek to everyone’s success, etc.) that could be contributing to it. BUT, I think the biggest factor is how passionate I am about what I do. How much time I put into what I do. And how emotionally invested I get in what I do.

At times, I feel really bad about getting competitive because it isn’t coming from a bad place. I truly do want the best for my co-workers and my peers in the blogging industry and the truth is that I find their success inspiring. However, that inspiration turns into motivation and then transpires to a competitive spirit.To the point, where I try to learn and do anything possible to produce work that can compete with the best of the best.

So, I named this blog post after my  biggest challenge. How do I continue to compete (as it benefits my work), but not compare? I am the first to celebrate my co-workers’ strengths and I know there is SO much I can learn from them, but sometimes I get so caught up with comparing my own skill set that it sets me back. Recently, I’ve caught myself thinking how to differentiate competition and comparison and it is REALLY hard. For example, I have to stop comparing my work to someone who has 10 more years of experience, but I can compete with that work to inspire a better quality in my own.

Competing means loosing and that is something you should be okay with, but comparing means feeling sorry for yourself and that is just unhealthy. This is something that I work really hard at everyday and it is one balancing act that I have yet to mater. BUT, I know the challenge has made me (and my work) stronger!

How do you keep your competitive spirit in check? I’d love some inspiration in the comments!