It is human nature to compare, but do you know that how we compare makes a big difference in the outcome of our behavior tendencies?
How We Compare #1: Me Against You... and Everybody Else
When we compare ourselves with others there is this sense of competition with 'making others lose' as the objective. It is as if one shall live because the other is gone, or basically both cannot win together... somebody has to lose. And in organization (as we know it) there is no such thing as winning alone. Everybody counts. Everything that you do shall make an impact to others like links in a chain, and everything that you do depends on others as well.
How We Compare #2: Me Against Me
I am in competition with no one.
I have no desire to play the game of being better than anyone.
I am simply trying to be better than the person I was yesterday.
That's me and I am free.
On the other hand, see what happens when we compare ourselves with ourselves.
We are stretching yourselves beyond what we previously were. Our target is going beyond our previous achievement. That way, we are growing and stay motivated in every situation; not just because there are other people exist besides us. We are growing independently. Thus in a situation where others challenge us, it is not that we need to challenge back by making them withdraw their challenge, but by taking such challenge for our individual growth.. no matter how resenting it might be. In other words, we take others as opportunities to bring the best in us. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." If everybody in an organization does the same way, everybody grows together; nobody is left behind and nobody has to lose. If all the iron links in a chain get stronger together, then the chain gets stronger as well.
See the big difference?
