It’s way too easy to doomscroll your way into an identity crisis.
You see six-figure job offers.
A creator hits 500k followers.
Someone’s living in a high-rise with a panoramic view.
He launched a startup.
She earned a million before turning 20.
Your feed screams: “Look at all this success.”
What do you think?
“Oh wow, I can do this too.”
Or
“I’m behind. I’ve failed.”
But here’s the thing:
You’re comparing their highlight story with your behind-the-scenes.
And that’s dangerous.
It’s toxic. It steals your joy. And most of the time—it’s not even real.
Think about it:
1. Everyone has demons. They just don’t post them. We don’t see the cost of that “success.”
2. Are you even playing the same game? Maybe you chose family, fitness, or art over status. That’s a different game with different goals.
3. If they win, it doesn’t mean you lose. Life isn’t a zero-sum game. If your friend gets a Porsche, it doesn’t make your car less valuable. It just means you can be inspired—and maybe even ask for a nice specs and a trusted dealership.
That said, comparison isn’t always bad.
It can be helpful if you compare with intention.
🧠 I often use comparison like a GPS:
Am I going in the right direction?
Are they showing me what’s possible?
Can they help me see and build my own way?
When my friend or colleague achieves something great it shows me that it's possible and I just need to find my own way to success.
But that's important - we are unable to compare the path, because we don't see it and we must always keep this in mind.
Here’s one of my favorite quotes from The Millionaire Fastlane 📚:
“Think process, not event.”
Social shows you the event.
But before that event, there’s a process. A long one.
Even our goals are often framed as events:
“Become a millionaire.”
“Get promoted.”
“Launch a startup.”
But before any of that happens, you need systems, effort, time, and consistency.
That’s why I compare myself to myself.
How do my current decisions compare to the past?
What have I learned, built, changed?
What do I have now that I didn’t have a year ago?
That’s the kind of feedback that actually shows our growth.
Everyone has demons—they just don’t post them.
So we build our way before the event happens.
Then we’ll write the highlight story.
Good luck!
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