On using the right comparisons

I have mentioned before how much I admire Nelson Mandela. His 'pearls' of wisdom have often inspired me and I am sure it will continue so, hence forgive me if I do quote him regularly ;)

Using our heroes as a source of inspiration can be a powerful driver to help us move in our desired direction (check my previous newsletter on the Hero Journey). However we need to be watchful of how we perceived their story too (last time I talked about designing our own story). We often tend to see only the highlights at the end of a life story and omit all the challenges, the ups and downs - at times, really low - during the journey. Nelson Mandela is no exception and there are some episodes of his life which are certainly not to recommend or copy. So we should be careful not to compare our entire self to the (limited) 'best side' of another person.  

‍In fact, any comparison - with heroes or others - leading to a judgement on our self-worth or intrinsic human value is rarely a useful exercise. Use your heroes as inspiration but use only yourself as the benchmark for whether you succeed or fail. And the only way to succeed is to fail enough times until you get there...

Model the best in others but judge who you are today only against who you were yesterday. Can you be 1% better today?

‍Well done! :) Keep going...

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[Originally published on 29 September 2022, in the Seeds for Growth and Joy newsletter]