There is Room For Everyone to Be Great

I have been looking forward to writing this blog for quite some time now. As I sit and think about all the creatives in my life, I can't help but long for creative comparison to lose its power. 

We all have struggled with comparison. Maybe we compare ourselves to our siblings and friends. Or maybe we compare ourselves to older or future versions of ourselves. 

I know I have struggled with comparison all my life. For a while, it just became a normal part of my thought process. I limited myself to trying certain things because I knew I would never be as good as "so and so"... so why try? I struggled with comparing myself to peers and communities that looked and sounded dramatically different than I did. Still to this day, I struggle with comparing myself to leaders who are double my age, expecting myself to produce fruit that I am just incapable of producing at this point in my journey. 

Do you struggle with comparison? Do you feel the tension of having to keep up with everyone? Do you act out of anxiety that there will not be enough room for you to shine if another creative succeeds? 

Well you are in the right place. 

Comparison shuts us down and I want to offer some tools to help foster health and wholeness in your creative process. 

Comparison is ultimately rooted in a scarcity mindset. 

This mindset says that there is a limited source of creativity, beauty, opportunities, etc. This mindset forces you to work from anxiety because you need to "grab anything you can get." Comparison is rooted in a belief that space is limited and built on fear that you will be the first to "unbelong." 

But like always, there is an opportunity for us to choose a different way. 

Instead of trying to force yourself to "just stop comparing" yourself to others, you need to find the root of your comparison. Behavior modification never works, so it's necessary for you to dig deep and find the real root of your comparison. 

Maybe you have never validated the dreams and desires in your heart so you constantly live through other people. Maybe you are really insecure and you need to find comfort and healing. Maybe your mind is being flooded with lies and an inaccurate self concept so you need to learn what it truly means to be humble. There are so many different roots to comparison, it just depends on your specific story and creative journey. 

Here is a 30 minute prompt to work through creative comparison. I challenge you to dig deep, find the roots of your comparison. That is the only way you will see long, lasting change. 

1.

Take time to envision this available reality:

Imagine what your life as a creative would look like if you could root comparison out of your heart. What anxieties would be released? What pressures would fall? How could you celebrate those around you? How could you be shaped to look more like Jesus? How could your heart be made more whole?

2.

Journal some responses to these questions:

What areas of my creativity feel threatened by others? Is It My identity? My Purpose? MyOpportunities? My Creative Flow?

Have I validated my own dreams and desires? Have I identified my own insecurities? And released myself from shame in that area? 

Do I get easily distracted by comparing myself to others? Have there been any dreams that I’ve left undone because comparison has been leading me?

Do I want to live a life without comparison? Do I want to do the hard work to see healing in my heart?

What's available in my life that can help this become a reality?

3.

Brainstorm ways you can begin to root out comparison in your life:

What am I grateful for in my life today?

How can I open my eyes and pay attention to my present reality?

Who, specifically another creative, can I celebrate today?

Where can I better show up to my own life today?

Thanks for coming to the blog today.

Today showing up to my own life looked like staying diligent and finishing everything on my to do list. It looked like intentionally going off of social media. It looked like making a beautiful breakfast and enjoying my morning coffee. It looked like freely allowing tears to flow as I prayed. It looked like writing instead of talking about writing. 

Anyways!  I am off to finish cooking dinner, enjoying my Christmas tree, and eating some peppermint Joe Joe's from Trader Joes with Noah. 

Chat Soon, 

Debs 🏡