Sometimes I still get caught up. Sometimes my competitive nature rears its ugly head. And I say ugly head because it really isn’t the best side of me. I don’t feel good when I’ve been comparing myself. Even when I come out “ahead”, it’s a lousy way to act…feeling superior to others because I have this or that skill over them. That’s just kind of pathetic, isn’t it?
Then once I realize I’ve been basing my opinion of myself off other people, I feel ashamed and bad about it. And I hate how I act when I’m trying to prove something. I think it makes me kind of an asshole. So I’d like to stop. But, I know I’m not always going to be perfect at this and there are people who will be able to get under my skin. So all I can do is pick myself up, dust myself off and keep trying. Ugh, I guess I just wish I were a better, kinder, more loving and accepting person. Maybe admitting how awful I’ve been will help?
People who have done this
More "How I Did It" stories
How I did it: I just grew out of it eventually. As my life went on this became a lot less important. Other things in life distracted me from continuing my old bad habits. Read how I did it…
How I did it: just part of growing upand wanting to be acceptedbut being true to yourselfand realizing your own worthand loving yourself firstmakes it that much easier to stop doing silly things like this Read how I did it…
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Entries
This will probably be the hardest one (and I said that growing out my natural hair colour will be hard, bah!). Even when writing entries for my goals, I can not stop reading what others have said about the same goal (read: comparing my entry with the others).
I want always to be the wittiest and brightest, of course. :P
Seems like I still have a loooooong way to go..
I caught myself falling into it again. Person by person, one at a time, comparing and comparing… sometimes feeling good, sometimes feeling inferior.
But once I realized it, I was able to stop, and let it go, just tried to appreciate the good things about ME, stand-alone, instead of in comparison to someone else. I’m sure the more I do that the better I’m going to get at it, the sooner I’ll catch it, and so on.
I am suddenly facing a situation where I have to resist my need to compare. A friend is very angry at me when I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong, and I have to see how to respond kindly but firmly.
And really I don’t want to fall back into the pattern of seeing who’s better off, who’s doing worse, who is right and who is wrong. It’s not a competition and there’s room for every single one of us. I have a right to my feelings but I don’t want to keep on feeding the negtivity loop.
Lisa__xo is making a new
i hate the way i feel because i look at someone else and want to be like them. i just want to be comfortable with myself. i feel if i dont do this its going to be a real problem for me in the future. theres people who i always feel i need to prove something to. i wish i didnt care.
For simplicity’s sake, let’s say it’s one person who I have to be around from time to time, who acts really condescending and, well, just generally superior to me. The thing that bothers me is that I allow myself to get drawn into it. I do start to feel like I have something to prove… to show that they ARE NOT better than me!! Then I get mad at myself for allowing someone else’s attitude to affect my image of myself and my behavior. To draw me into a competitive frame of mind… for what? What I really need to do is to take a deep breath, relax, and realize it’s all about THEIR insecurities, not anything that’s actually “wrong” with ME. Stop taking that stuff on to myself!
This is becoming more and more important every day. I really need to concentrate on my own happiness, not whether or not I’m doing as good as or better than whoever else in my life. Is what I’m doing making ME happy? Do I like my life? Is this what I want? Not “am I as good as them?” “What if they are more successful, does that mean they are better and I am somehow not as good as they are?” It gets me absolutely no where and it accomplishes nothing for me. I have to do things because they are right for me, not because I want to outshine someone else. I guess I have a much stronger competitive streak than I have ever realized. Not that competition is always bad, but I think it’s destructive when it’s taking something I love and turning it into something I feel competitive over.
It seems like my whole life is based on comparisons. I have this weird notion in my head that I am an outcast and will only be accepted if I am better than everyone else, which is of course completely absurd.
Whenever I try to better myself, at anything, it’s always because of a desire to be better than others and not simply because I want to do it for myself. Whenever I see people succeed, I am filled with loathing and want to beat them at whatever they’re doing.
I hate living in this state of mind but I don’t know how to escape from it. It might just be a part of growing up though. I hope to God it is…
→ See all 180 entries
Ask for advice: Get help from people who've accomplished this goal
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Paola
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Apathetic_Lover asks,
“How can i stop comparing myself to other people?”
— 3 years ago |
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rebirth75 asks,
“Please help me live with this aspect in my life. I have always compared. Tell me step by step approach to conciously stop this degenerating thought.”
— 3 years ago |
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