Comparing Yourself (to yourself)

Everyone does it. Its perfectly natural.

Comparing yourself to others.

Its how we often judge our performance on a workout, did we do better than so-and-so? How is her Fran time? What is his 1 RM Deadlift?

The atmosphere in CrossFit group classes naturally encourage friendly competition and measurable progress with whiteboard scores and PRs. But often, instead of letting those things inspire and excite us, we let these numbers define and discourage us.Zach Erick at Invictus put it this way, 

"If you’re the type of person that has to have the fastest time on the board, and is heartbroken when someone else beats you, ask yourself these questions the next time you leave the gym: What do you really want, and are you willing to sacrifice time/money/relationships/personal joy to get it? If you don’t have any intentions competing on the professional level, then why does it matter if somebody beat your time? I understand if you leave a workout upset with yourself because you feel that you could have pushed harder, but if you truly gave everything you had during a workout then there is no reason to second guess your abilities."

via Comparing Yourself to others | Invictus

We are all a work in progress. The PRs are just icing on the cake, but the work between those are what make you a better athlete, a better person.

Our minds want to quantify and organize things, so instead of using others as the measuring stick for your success, focus internally. What have you done recently that you couldn't do before? Have you been more consistent? What has improved for you in the last 6 months, year, 2 years?

We are all different and that is a beautiful thing; embrace it and make positive goals that improve your weaknesses and enhance your strengths. Seek to make improvements that bring you personal joy, not public praise and you will not only take control over your happiness, but you will find greater satisfaction in the journey.