tired-woman-laptop-having-some-problems-office
Celebrate your own success
Kate Toon, August
2016
In business, there’s always someone bigger and better. So how do you stop comparing yourself to others and learn to love little old you?
It started when I was about 13.
Hannah Brandon* had bigger boobs than me.
Now this might not seem relevant to running a solo business, but bear with me. It’s one of those metaphor thingies. (And for any males reading this, I’m sure you can think of a suitable appendage to substitute for ‘boobs’.)
As a blossoming teen it was all about the boobs. Boobs endowed the bearer with greater status, social power and, most importantly, more admiration from boys. Us poor boobless creatures were stricken with envy. How could we compare to these full-bosomed creatures? Why were we so pubescently challenged?
Even now, as an ample-boobed, fully grown businesswoman, the gaping pit of comparison occasionally sucks me in. I still have a tendency to compare my inadequacies with others’ successes. And I know a lot of other soloists feel this way too.
So here are some tips on how to avoid the comparison trap and learn to love your own business, however flat chested it may be.
Tip 1: Stop hate following
We all have those competitors who lodge themselves in the back of our brain. We subscribe to their newsletters and like their Facebook pages not because we love them, but because we’re jealous of everything they do. We open their emails with a groan, muttering expletives under our breath as we see the ‘new shiny thing’ they’ve just done/released. Or the new opportunity they’ve been offered. Unsubscribing from these emails and removing these pages from your newsfeed will make you a happier chipmunk.
Tip 2: Start producing
Instead of reading other people’s content, and checking out their blogs, websites and emails, start creating your own content. Rather than following others, listen to your own customers and let them guide you towards new products, services and solutions. You’ll find that once you don your business blinkers your vision will clear, making it easier to come up with your own ideas.Tip 3: Be realistic
If you’re just starting out, there’s little joy to be had in comparing yourself with a well-established business. Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle, as the saying goes. Oh, and while you’re at it, stop comparing your behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlights reel.