It’s really a pointless exercise.

It automatically creates a strained relationship with whomever you’re comparing yourself—you’ve either gotta be superior or inferior to them, right? Neither is a good basis for a loving relationship.

But, that’s not even the part that bothers me the most. Frankly, I think we’re selling ourselves insanely short when we compare ourselves to others (which usually means to our peers). No disrespect to my peers, but if I need to compare myself to anyone, it would be to the greatest people who ever lived—the people who have left a mark on the world by giving as much of themselves as they could.

Even that, though, would be a disservice to my creator. He/She/It created ME—a unique mix of gifts (and wackiness) that is begging for its own unique expression.

So, if you need to do any comparison at all—do it with your potential self!

In the words of William Faulkner, “Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.”