Impersonate? Perhaps. Replicate? I Think Not.

Do you want what others have? Are you intimidated by those who have accomplished more than you? If you find out that someone may be more qualified for an opportunity than you, do you stop giving your all and slowly give up? I wish every person could answer these questions with "no." However, many people I have spoken to recently would answer "yes."

For a long time, I would have answered every question with "yes." Even though I worked hard, I constantly focused on the wrong things. I was envious if someone had more accomplishments, a better job/job title, received an opportunity I thought should have gone to me, and the list could go on forever. Needless to say, no matter how much I accomplished, I was never happy.Since I was not happy, I spent ample time blaming everything and everyone for my frustrations. Do you know how simple it was for me to blame the politics of an organization for my lack of success? Can you imagine how easy it was to compare myself to others and try to justify the situation in an attempt to ease the hurt? It was really simple to do. In fact, it was so simple to do that it hid the fact that I refused to take accountability for my own actions and thoughts.

One day, I wondered how I could prevent myself from comparing myself to others. At first, I drove myself crazy because the answer was not obvious. Seven months ago, I sat and listened to a panel discussion about differentiating myself from everyone else. Once I left the meeting, it clicked. In order to stop comparing myself to others, I had to start focusing on what made me different and stop focusing on how to be the best. Why would I stop focusing on being the best and start focusing on being different? If I am the best at something, someone else could become better, which makes them the best. Instead, I look at what makes me different. If I am different from everyone else, then how can anyone duplicate me? They can try to impersonate, but an exact replication is impossible.

I want you to follow suit. Think about what makes you different. Do you have a knack for taking initiative in any situation? Can you talk your way to any sale? Does your ability to reason allow you to be an excellent mediator? After you think about your experiences, determine how you can package and deliver them. When you figure out how to do this, you still stop comparing yourself to others and begin to focus on bettering yourself.