Comparison & Obsession

“Don’t obsess over an apparently better scheme that someone else has.” — Maryn McKenna

Do you ever find yourself playing the comparison game? BECAUSE I DO.

I’m moving happily forward with my podcast, content with my numbers, my show art, and my creative process… and then my eyes wander. I look at (or hear about) someone else’s award, or download numbers, or TV appearance. And suddenly, my own podcast looks a LOT less appealing.

Suddenly, the creation I was so proud of looks like a piece of macaroni art made by a 3-year-old. Suddenly, I feel ashamed. Suddenly, I feel like I’m not enough. Suddenly, I feel like a loser. Suddenly, the value of my own work has deflated.

And I begin thinking, “Why bother? If someone out there is already making a really good podcast — a podcast WAY better and more professional than mine — then what am I doing? Why am I wasting my time?”

A lot of podcasters stop because of this. Because they start focusing on someone else’s work, and they stop focusing on their own.

Don’t fall into this trap. Don’t let someone else’s show (or their numbers, their awards, or their perceived success) become your obsession.

Your own show needs to be your obsession. Don’t take your eyes off of it. You’re running your own race, in your own lane. Keep your eyes focused on your own finish line, and keep running.

Because that other person’s podcast? It’s not for everybody. Just like your podcast is not for everybody. Believe it or not, someone out there needs YOUR podcast. They need to hear YOUR particular story and YOUR message, in your words. They need you to tell your story — and not focus on someone else’s.

What do you do when you find yourself in comparison mode?

Words & warmth,

Sarah