I was reminded the other day how much we all compare ourselves to others. Despite our successes, there is always someone out there who seems to be ahead of us.
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Their lead in life becomes a benchmark that we measure ourselves against. Homer Simpson suffered this comparison in a classic episode where he decides to become an inventor. He is plagued by how much more successful Thomas Edison was at his age, and keeps the poster on the wall to measure his own success.
I find myself doing the same thing, especially with a few successful people around me. While connecting with a few of them, I listened to them talk about their Edison. The person who they are comparing themselves to and coming up short. Those people who I was comparing myself to, were busy comparing themselves to others.
I couldn’t help myself…and blurted out:
“Oh, they are your You!”
After an awkward laugh, I began to realize how unfortunately universal this comparison has become. Homer became so upset with comparing himself to Edison, that he drove to the museum to destroy Edison’s work. When he got there, he discovered another poster similar to his own. It was Edison’s poster comparing himself to Leonardo da Vinci. Even Edison had an Edison.
Who is your Edison? Maybe today is a good time to realize that you are not Edison. You are you, and that is good enough.
Carl Weber Consulting 