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Transcript

Comparison Kills · The Daily Writer

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for creative success.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: You can make a lot of mistakes as a writer and still be successful, but one of the mistakes that will kill both your enthusiasm and your success is the habit of constantly comparing yourself to others.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Now, granted, it's almost impossible not to do this as a writer.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: After all, we're human and our human nature is to compare ourselves.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: And to be honest, social media has made it impossible not to notice other people's success in writing.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Whenever you see a friend of yours hit a bestseller list or launch a new book, it's hard to not feel a little bit jealous.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_00: But that negative energy doesn't really help you with your own goals, does it?
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: When you focus on what you lack and what other people have, that negative mental energy only slows you down and makes you feel bad about yourself.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's an important truth.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: What you see on social media is only a small part of other people's lives.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_00: When you see a successful book launch, you're only seeing the highlight reel.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: You don't see the months or even years of hard work that went into the making of that book.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: You don't see the late nights, you don't see the early mornings, you don't see the writing on the lunch break, you don't see sending manuscripts back and forth to an editor, and you don't see the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the making of that book.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of feeling jealous, let other writers' success spur you on to your own better achievements.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're not on the same journey as they are, so it doesn't matter anyway.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: You have your own journey as a writer.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: There's no point in comparing yourself because you either end up feeling bad about yourself, which is not good, or you feel prideful because you feel like you're further ahead than the other guy.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: Both of those are just full of negative energy and they'll take you off course really, really fast.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: You can learn from other writers, but don't compare yourself.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: Comparison kills your energy and your motivation.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: So instead of comparing, compete against yourself.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's the only true measurement of your success.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.