It's hard not to compare yourself to other people and their accomplishments.
We learn from others.
We mirror, we model, we emulate.
We're told "Find people who are doing what you want to do and mimic them."
We look to others for inspiration, for reminders of our own potential, for what is possible.
But so often your interior monologue snatches up the vocabulary of envy, guilt, and shame. Insecurity seizes on the measures of another and slings barbs of unnecessary self-judgment and unhealthy self-criticism.
When you run across a difference -- a place where you're tempted to feel you don't "measure up" -- you may have uncovered a distinction.
When think you're "doing it wrong," it may be the first sign that your contribution is original.
image credit h.koppdelaney via Creative Commons on Flickr