You should never, ever make the mistake of comparing yourself to other people.
Although it may be simple to express in words, putting it into practice can be challenging.
It is much simpler to get caught in what is commonly referred to as the “comparison trap.”
This snare has caught quite a few people in today’s world, particularly those involved in website ownership and blogging.
However, you have the ability to break free of this and learn how to love both yourself and the unique journey you are taking with blogging.
Disclosure: Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you click on them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.
Why You Should Never Be Comparing Yourself With Others
You Never Know Their Backstory
Every blogger and their website have their own individual histories and paths that led them to where they are today.
If you follow them on social media or read their blog, you are only seeing one side of them: the side that presents them in the best possible light.
You are not seeing all of the countless hours of writing and research that they have invested, along with the initial financial investment, in order to become the successful bloggers that they are today.
The Rate Of Success Varies
One blogger may make enough money to support themselves full-time within a year, while another blogger may not make enough money to support themselves full-time for another five years.
The fact of the matter is that you are never truly aware of the numbers that are associated with the blog, including monthly statistics, money earned, money spent, etc.
You are only able to speculate, and most of the time, when you do so, you end up giving that blogger more credit for their work, which in turn leaves you feeling like a failure.
This is NOT the case at all!
Numbers Do Not Equal Money
It might be hard to believe, but a website’s number of followers on social media and visitors do not necessarily translate into an increase in revenue.
The numbers that you are looking at are just one side of the story.
Even if a website receives 100,000 pageviews each month, it does not necessarily mean that the blogger is making five figures with their writing.
There are a great number of additional blogs that do not earn even half of that number of pageviews but still maintain a steady income sufficient for either part-time or full-time employment.
Do not allow yourself to be disheartened by comparing your pageviews or rankings on Google search to those of others because it does not necessarily mean that it will result in a consistent income!
While these are excellent reminders to keep in mind each day, it’s now time to delve a little deeper into the reasons behind why you compare yourself to others…
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Why Are You Comparing Yourself With Others?
It’s unfortunate, but there’s probably a secret reason why you’re judging your own success based on the achievements of others.
Regarding this matter, you ought to do some introspection on your own.
Because we all compete with other bloggers for Google ranking, domain authority, page views, and other metrics, blogging is an all-around difficult business to be in.
After some time has passed, every blogger will reach a point where they experience some insecurity regarding blogging or the services they provide within their business at some point.
You may be comparing yourself to others for a variety of reasons, some of which are listed below.
Jealousy
You may find yourself envious of another person’s success, whether it be the layout of another blogger’s website or the number of page views they receive in a given month.
Self-Confidence
It’s possible that you’re comparing yourself to others because you lack confidence in yourself, but that’s not the only reason.
Due to the fact that you lack self-confidence, it is very simple for you to get caught up in the “comparison trap.”
When you compare yourself to other people, you are putting yourself, your skills, as well as your successes and failures, into a box, and this is a very dangerous thing to do…
And people commonly refer to that box as the “box of shame and failure.”
You look around and notice that every other blogger is having success, while you and everything you do is failing.
If you lack self-confidence, you will always see yourself in a poor light, which will prevent you from achieving any future success you might have.
Lack Of Achievement
When I say lack of achievement, what I really mean is that you have a low perception of your own level of achievement!
We have a tendency to be extremely critical of ourselves, even more so than other people are. In the end, we are the harshest critic of ourselves!
It’s possible that you started off this year with some lofty aspirations for your blog. But what occurs in the event that those objectives are not met?
We start to have doubts about our abilities and define our inability to achieve that goal as the greatest possible setback.
When we see the success of other bloggers, our own lack of accomplishments can make us feel even less accomplished, and this feeling can make us feel inferior.
Failure to accomplish a blogging objective, for some people, serves only as motivation to work even harder.
Seeing the success of others and comparing yourself to others, on the other hand, will only make matters worse if you already struggle with low self-confidence or a fear of failing at something.
The question now is: how can you get yourself to stop comparing your writing to that of other bloggers?
How To Stop Comparing Yourself With Others
In addition to keeping in mind the aforementioned reminders, the following are some additional ways you can start practicing mindfulness and get some of your lost confidence back when it comes to blogging.
Write Down Your Attributes
Seriously! Get a piece of paper and a pen, and make a list of at least three things that you are good at in relation to blogging.
Then post it in your office so that you will see it every day and it will serve as a reminder.
This will help you gradually build confidence in yourself and your abilities, which is essential if you want to continue being an amazing blogger.
Begin To Understand Contentment
Being happy with your blogging doesn’t mean you should stop trying to improve or stop achieving success.
It indicates that you are pleased with where you are in your blogging career and that you are “content.” (Yes, I did actually say business!)
As opposed to constantly wanting more from your blogging endeavors, this practice will enable you to feel happier and allow you to enjoy the process as well as the gradual rise of success.
Do A Fast
I am not referring to a fast in which one abstains from eating any food for a predetermined amount of time. By this, I refer to a “blogging fast.”
If you find that you are constantly evaluating yourself in relation to others, it may be helpful to refrain from blogging or observe a fast for a while. Something akin to taking a break from blogging.
This is something that I need to do periodically in order to refocus and lighten the mental load that blogging places on me.
Take a break from blogging for a day or two and just stop doing it altogether.
This will assist you in recalling the reasons you decided to begin blogging in the first place!
Distance Yourself From Social Media
The majority of people’s traffic to their blogs comes from social media. It not only helps us connect with other bloggers and readers, but it also drives traffic to our respective blogs.
To tell you the truth, however…
I feel both envious and disheartened whenever I hear other bloggers discussing their five-figure monthly incomes in Facebook groups because it makes me feel like I’ll never get there myself.
My thoughts tell me that I am not succeeding because I am not making the substantial amount of money that they are.
When it comes to blogging, I try to keep in mind that money is not everything; however, it is nice to be able to turn a hobby into a career that brings in a significant amount of cash. Isn’t that the goal of every single person?
At this point, it’s important for me to refrain from comparing my writing to that of other bloggers and step away from social media for a while.
Even though I am aware that other bloggers are only disclosing how much money they make each month or each year to those who make nowhere near that amount, the fact that they do so makes me feel like I am falling short in some way.
And the only person to blame for that is my low level of confidence in myself.
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Final Thoughts
It’s exhausting to constantly compare yourself to others.
You and other bloggers are separated into two distinct groups in your head: the successful bloggers, and you. That should never be done!
You decided to start blogging due to the fact that you have an interesting life story to share, are a person who works diligently and persistently, and are able to quickly learn and carry out new projects and responsibilities.
There is no point in constantly evaluating oneself in relation to others, and this is especially true in the realm of blogging.
When it comes to comparing yourself to other people, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you do not know the complete history of anyone else’s triumphs and setbacks.
Instead, keep in mind that blogging is a long-term game that necessitates a steep learning curve, and that it really does take years to achieve the level of success that you are probably aiming for with your blog.