GO AT YOUR OWN PACE
If your process is no body else’s but your own, then the pace at which you move through it is no body’s business but your own.
When you catch yourself pushing beyond your limits to “catch up” to others, here are a few things to keep in mind:
Stop comparing yourself to others.
Remember that whoever you’re comparing yourself to has different resources, capabilities, and surroundings than you do. Your experience has nothing to do with theirs if you’re not being fair in your comparison by acknowledging the vast differences in each person’s own journey.
Compare yourself to your former self.
Instead of looking to others for comparison, compare where you are today to where you were 3, 5, maybe 10 years ago. This will help in seeing and better appreciating your progression and how far you’ve come. Growth takes time and it’s difficult to spot when you’re only looking ahead without considering where you started.
Celebrate ALL your victories.
Big or small, celebrate them all and allow yourself the joy that comes with each step forward. Regardless how small, you’re still one little step further than before.
Have realistic expectations for achieving your goals.
Be honest with yourself about your capabilities, capacity to take things on, and your limitations. The more honest you are, the less likely you hit a wall.
Redefine what success means to you.
This goes back to my first point, your definition of success should have nothing to do with someone else’s. Perhaps your goals are the same and perhaps you’re even competing over the same thing, but think of your success as it pertains to your journey and your progression within it. You get to decide what success means in your book.
