Comparisons

I loved a recent quote by Sameer Patel, during his excellent presentation at The North of England Dentistry Show:

"Social media is a comparison site."

I've often reminded my clients that a classic mistake is to compare your "inside" with everybody else's "outside".

That moment when you wonder why you are struggling, overwhelmed and tired, when everybody else seems to be living their best life?

We all know that neither condition is truly authentic nor permanent.

A former client (now exited from ownership and happy with it) wrote to me the other day:

"Your podcast and your posts are really resonating with me currently, the pathological honesty, the ability to find the positive in the darkest times and spin it so if possible you can use it. But I also recognise the burn out dancing at the periphery but kept at bay by your stoicism your perseverance and persistence but also the team you have around you."

Well spotted.

Don't get me wrong - I'm as guilty as any of posting my "living my best life" photos to Facebook and Instagram, whether it be riding my bike through sunny Cheshire lanes at weekend or out with family and friends.

I’m sat here this week, feeling overwhelmed by what I’ve got to get finished before we take a break in 2 weeks from now - I've just cancelled a day with my own coach in London next week - to buy time.

I’m actually in a funk for the first time in a long time - maybe just the after-effects of my own dose of Covid and too much to do.

Social media is, indeed, a comparison site - I choose to sometimes post (as now) that I'm not living my best life - I'm just head down, grinding out the days, getting through the work, trying to catch up with some sleep and beating myself up about being overweight, unfit and miles behind.

Fortunately - I’ve been doing this a long time and I know to just get my head down and work through the pain…