Why comparison is hurting more than yourself

We take some comfort in knowing that while we may not be at the top of the pile, we’re definitely not at the bottom of it.

Maybe you’re a super model. Or crazy smart. Or filthy rich. Even if you’re at the top in some settings, I could probably find a bigger room with more “competition." I could also just change the category to find an area where you don’t want to put yourself up for comparison.

That’s the danger of comparison: you’ll always find somebody better than you in something.

I’m a fairly competitive person, so it took me a long time to be okay with not being the best at something.

That’s the danger of comparison: you’ll always find somebody better than you in something.

In fact, I didn’t start running races until I was in my late 20s specifically because I knew I wouldn’t win them. Once I got over myself in that area, I found a new love. I almost missed out on adventure races because I couldn’t bear the thought of not winning.

But you know what? When I check the results (in races that post results), my ego swells a bit when I find out I was in the top 5%. Maybe I didn’t win, but I was better than 9 out of 10 people on that day. I didn’t win, but I definitely did not lose.

When I get addicted to the "at least I wasn’t last" syndrome, it means I’m willing to let others do poorly

I think that’s the bigger problem than my fear of not winning ever was.

See, when I get addicted to the "at least I wasn’t last" syndrome, it means I’m willing to let others do poorly. Maybe I’d even be willing to push them down in order to keep myself out of last place. It’s why sometimes other people failing actually makes me happy. I’d never let on, but we’re being honest in this space, right?

And a world where people like me are okay with others doing poorly (and maybe helping them do poorly in my worst moments) just to avoid last place would look like...well, just look around.

Bullying.

Huge wealth gaps.

Major health problems in other countries.

Now, I’m not trying to blame you for all the evils in our world. I’m not saying that I am in possession of the immediate practical solution for all that ails us but keeping it secret to make my life better than it would be otherwise.

Would you put yourself in last place?

But let me ask a question: If you could make literally everybody else on earth better than you (looking, richer, smarter, whatever), would you do it? Would you put yourself in last place? I mean, the world would be better off, but you wouldn’t be.

Honestly, I don’t know if I could pull that off.

The Bible tells the story of a man who did exactly that. I find it to be not only an inspirational story, but a transformational one in my life.

Here’s the thing: I said I didn’t have the immediate solution for all the problems in this world, but I believe that this attitude - of caring about other people more than myself; the idea of getting my value by lifting others up instead of working to avoid last place - I think that actually IS the solution to the majority of the problems in our world.

Imagine a world without bullying.

Imagine a world where we collaborate to solve social issues.

Imagine a world where creating healthy environments for children is more important than attaining the new luxury product on the market.

If I didn’t spend my time comparing myself to others, but helping others; making them the best version of themselves, I know things would get better.

I need to stop seeing competitors and start seeing teammates.

There’s an African proverb which says, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

We’ve got a long way to go in our world. We’re gonna need to do it together. So the stronger you are, the farther we can go.

That’s the solution to my problem. I need to stop seeing competitors and start seeing teammates. And a team is only as good as its weakest member. So instead of pushing you down to make me feel better, I need to encourage you and build you up so that we can reach our potential.

Thomas Christianson is a pastor, professor, writer and speaker living in the Baltimore area. You can find books, booking info, and blog posts at makingfaithpractical.com.

(Photo source: Mike Wilson via Unsplash.com)