EP 3608 is a blunt reminder that comparison does not motivate you, it corrodes you.

Most people do not lose their joy in one big moment. They lose it in a thousand little audits. Someone else's body. Someone else's relationship. Someone else's business. Someone else's confidence. And without realising it, you start living like your life is failing because it is not identical to someone else's highlight reel.

In this episode I unpack what comparison really is. It is a nervous system threat response dressed up as "standards." It is your brain trying to keep you safe by measuring where you sit in the tribe. The problem is, the scoreboard you are using is usually fake, incomplete, and brutal.

We talk about the two traps.

Upward comparison makes you feel behind, even when you are building something solid. It turns progress into pressure, and it trains your brain to ignore wins.

Downward comparison makes you feel superior for a moment, but it keeps you small. You do not grow when you need other people to be worse than you.

I give you a simple reset you can use today.

Step one, name the trigger. Who are you comparing yourself to, and where are you doing it.

Step two, define your lane. What are the values you are building your life on, not the outcomes you are chasing.

Step three, set your daily scoreboard. Three behaviours you can execute today that prove you are becoming the person you say you want to be.

If you are sick of feeling like you are never enough, this is your circuit breaker. Stop watching other people live. Start doing the work. Quietly. Repeatedly. On purpose.

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