Stop comparing youself to others

Comparison is the death of joy. — Mark Twain

The worst thing you can do when doing any type of activity is to constantly look at others. We are curious creatures, and it’s well in our interest to measure our performance to answer the question “Am I doing good?”. But every small peek behind the curtain carries a risk of a paper cut—realisation, that you could never do better than someone else.

That feeling is hard to shake. You need to convince yourself that “better” is relative—everyone has their own definition of it. The worst work by your standards could be the best work for someone else.

This is why I encourage you to resist the urge to look at others. Enjoy your own process. There’s no correct way to do things and experimentation will eventually lead somewhere.

It’s worth mentioning that isolating yourself completely isn’t the smartest strategy as well. It is fine to be aware—recognise good work and learn from it. But becoming obsessive will not bring you happiness in the long term.