Comparing yourself to others Stipends Growth!

COMPARING YOURSELF TO OTHERS STIPENDS GROWTH. This is something that I have struggled to come to terms with over the years and am still struggling with. Whether it’s school, sports, or other aspects of my life, I value my success relative to others success. If someone gets an A on an assignment and I get an A-, I see that as a reflection of my poor performance. Throughout my development as an artist, I find myself trying to understand my friends’ journeys, as if what they are doing to become stronger dancers is better or worse than the path I am taking.

It has taken me a while to realize that my journey as a human is going to be different from other people, AND THATS OKAY.

There is no right or wrong way to grow as a human being. All of us make our own mistakes, each of which influence who we will become as adults. Also get this, even when we “grow up” we are never really done growing up, at least psychologically. That is the beauty of life.

Okay, I know that probably sounded super cliche, but I mean every word I’m saying. While at times comparing yourself to others can create an avenue for growth, hyper fixation is where problems occur. Trust me, I know. As a dancer, I used to compare myself to my peers when in reality they were facing the same insecurities that I was. All of us fed into each others insecurities, resulting in a toxic environment that was not a breeding ground for growth. However, once I stepped away from this environment for some time, I found that comparing my present self to my past self, through recordings was actually a really beneficial way for me to grow as both a human and a dancer. I became more humble, appreciative, and grateful for my ability to be able to express myself in an unconventional way. As someone who is still actively working on this skill, I wanted to share my experience, in hopes that if you are anything like how I was, you know that you are not alone.