Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Happy Friday, Guys! I’ve missed writing on here so much. It’s very therapeutic to me. Whether I am writing about my teammates on Precision Powerlifting Systems or writing about what is going on currently in my life. I am guilty of starting things with a lot of steam and having them fizzle out and I promised myself and others that wouldn’t be the case for my blogging.

     I have been toying with the idea of even talking about this because I am incredibly guilty when it comes to comparing myself to others. I was just talking to my sister about working in the fitness world and how much emphasis there is on your body and how much you are hustling, comparing yourself and your work ethic to others is automatic in this field. However, she worked as a designer and we pulled very similar comparisons to the two fields even though they are vastly different. It doesn’t matter who you are, it’s inevitable to see what others own, the relationships they are in, the clothes they wear, the money they *seemingly* have. Yes, you can see these things but it is your perception that will change the way you reflect on it.

When things are going good in my life, I tend to not let the little things affect me AS much. My outlook on other people changes and I am not so wound up with jealousy about what other people are doing. I actually enjoy basking in their success and it aids in mine. 

The minute things start to go south for me, this is not the case. I let my insecurities and emotions take control and my comparison gets worse and worse. I somehow always relate it to my body and what I could be doing to “look  better” whatever that means and seeing how other people look is more on my mind. I see other people working hard and question if I should be working harder in my career and in the gym. Little things like a pimple on my face or my clothes feeling tight sends me through an anxious loop. I question “why am I even doing this?” “This” as in the fitness industry, “This” as in living in the city and “this” as in powerlifting. Everything is magnified and catastrophic. 

Right now I am the latter. I am currently in between some big life changes which is always fun and exciting for me but AFTER the fact. During the changes, I am a mess and super uncomfortable with myself and the future. However, this time around I am calling myself out and allowing to feel the confusing pain of unfamiliarity. 

I always default to allowing myself spiral out of control and watching what everyone else is doing and not remembering all the things I am currently doing/have done. Why are we so hard on ourselves? Why is my default when things are going bad to actually make myself feel worse? Why am I using instagram so much? Why am I annoyed more easily? 

The more I/we harp on these things the more of a reality they become. If I actually stop and look back on the last year I am pretty damn proud of myself. Could I have handled things better? Yes. Seeing these events in hindsight is always hard when you gain perspective but that is apart of the experience and we wouldn’t learn otherwise. How will I change this? I am not really sure, though the one thing I am trying to do is look at things more objectively and not take all my feelings and emotions for face value. Nothing is permanent and they aren’t always telling me the honest truth on the situation at hand. 

So what does this have to do with fitness or powerlifting or highlighting my teammates? It doesn’t. I just wanted to get this all down on paper to refer back to these times. And remind myself that it’s really not so bad when you lay it all out there and be vulnerable to what is next. 

As for my coaching, things have been good. I am the busiest I have ever been and I am trying to learn more about powerlifting as the days go on with my clients and myself. I have a group of 7 people in my Intro to Powerlifting group and 3-4 want to compete in the late fall (exciting!). I know more learning through these real life coaching experiences are on the horizon for me and my group but it is exciting to coach these people through something they have never experienced before. I like walking into my gym and coaching a class but on the side are 2-3 people of my intro to powerlifting clients following a program I set out for them. It makes me feel like I may be doing *SOMETHING* right. Follow along with our progress! 

Next week I am interviewing Emily Biberger of Precision Powerlifting Systems so stay tuned! We’re back!