The Journey Down the Road to Sucess Part 2

In today's world, there is an ever-increasing amount of unnecessary "FEAR" that haunts every man, woman, and child today. In this article, I will be discussing some things we do, knowingly and unknowingly, that can cause the development of or manifestation of fear within our inner man.

Understanding the Impact of Comparison on Your Mental Well-being, Relationships, and Successful Victories.

Comparing ourselves to others is a common human inclination, having an enormous impact on our lives. While appearing uneffective, repeated comparisons can have negative consequences for mental health, relationships, and personal accomplishments.

When we compare ourselves to others we put ourselves emotional and mental well-being in jepardoy. We open ourselves up to frequent feelings of inadequcy, low-self esteem, and depression, social anxieties. Leon Festinger, the developer of "Social Comparison Theroy", and his collegues (1954) found that individuals engage in social comparison that are upward in nature, examinimg themselves against others they consider to be supreme, or popular, which causes tension and dissatisfaction.

Furthermore, Buunk and Gibbons (2007) concluded that perpetual social comparison could possibly lead to depressed symptoms because people focus on perceived flaws rather than personal development. 

How Comparing Ourselves to Others Affects our Relationship

Comparison in relationships can put a strain on intimacy and trust. Lockwood and Kunda (1997) highlight how social comparisons can breed jealously and anger, weakening the foundation of successful partnerships. Furthermore, Tesser's (1988) research implies that frequent comparisons can promote competitiveness and conflict rather than collaboration and support, reducing relationship satisfaction.

How Comparison Affects Our Personal Victories

Suprisingly, excessive comparison can hinder personal accomplishments. The "Compare" Phenomenon" defined by psychologist Rachel Simmons, demonstrates how focusing on others' accomplishments and victories, can undermine one's drive and productivity. Which means if you focus too much on someone else's success, you are likely to develop more self-doubt, self-defeating thoughts, causing your performance, as well as productivity to diminish.

While comparison is a normal, spontaneous practice, it has serious consequences for mental health, relationship dynamics, and personal growth. Cultivating self-awareness, developing a self-compassionate mindset, and recognizing individual development can help to counteract these negative impacts, promoting healthier perspectives and overall well-being.

How Self-Worth is Diminished by Comparing Oneself to Others

Every time we compare ourselves to others, we erode our self-esteem, therefore, developing a nasty habit of self-doubt. We begin to question our abilities and even hinder well-deserved opportunities. We quickly forget our self-worth, values, and uniqueness are intrinsic and not dependent on our outside approval or unreasonable expectations of others. Look at the picture above, we see an old, well-used typewriter next to a new, modern laptop. Although the laptop is new, and has lots of features and accessibility, everything the typewriter does not have.

However, that does not diminish the quality of the typewriter nor it's worth. The typewriter still does what it was created to do, so as the laptop. And although the laptop is newer, the typewriter still has its value, even if not more value, depending on it's age.

How the Loss of Authenticity and the Illusion of Perfection Are Caused by Comparison:

We become more and more detached from our true selves as we compare. We imitate behaviors and characteristics not because they align with our own desires but rather because we find them appealing from the perspective of those we hold ourselves against. We become disoriented from our own passions and strengths during this process.

Comparisons have a tendency to distort reality. While we evaluate ourselves in light of this façade, we see selectively chosen moments from other people's lives that have been refined and filtered for public consumption. This false sense of perfection feeds into emotions of inadequacy and encourages a never-ending search for impossible standards.