It’s easy to fall victim to comparison. In a world governed by metrics, everyone will compare themselves to someone else at the gym. It’s easy to let the negativity derail your motivation. No matter how strong, fit, and competent you become, there will always be someone with a bigger bench, bigger squat, and better body composition. There will always be someone bigger, fitter, faster, and stronger.
So why bother?
First of all, if you fall into this nihilistic belief, you started this whole journey for the wrong reason. Unless you’re a competitive athlete, the whole point is to improve yourself and your health, not to outdo others in comparison.
Comparison is truly the killer of happiness, and it’s especially apparent in the world of health and fitness. Someone will always have larger pecs or a better looking ass than you but who cares? Don’t let that get to you. The whole purpose of the fitness and strength journey is self-betterment.
The only person to whom you should be comparing yourself is who you were yesterday.
That’s it. Don’t mind the people who’ve been training for years longer than you or the dude who seems to get strong and jacked no matter what kind of jackassery he does. What matters is if you are progressing forward and learning along the way.
When the sole purpose of training is to be better than others, the pursuit becomes a pathetic and egotistical race on a rat wheel. It’s sad how small their world is. No one gives a shit about these dudes except for themselves, so don’t become one of them.
Let me ask you this.
If you do one thing each day to improve yourself, where will you be next week? Next month? In a year? In 5 years? Each milestone you cross is a victory to be celebrated in the context of your personal life. If you finally squat 100 pounds for the first time, that is a great personal achievement!
The victories of others don’t diminish your own. I am always more impressed by individuals who consistently outdo their previous bests, no matter how small, than the strong and arrogant showboats who become complacent in their training.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Are you growing? Growth is the most important victory in the gym and in life.
The chaos of your life is already enough without having to deal with the arbitrary standards set by other people’s accomplishments. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
