TGIM: 13.1

Welcome back to Thank God It’s Monday!
​
​tl;dr Comparison is the thief of joy, and yet it is human to look to others for inspiration, motivation, and feedback. So how exactly should we use comparison effectively, and when should we be wary of its detrimental effects?
​
I ran my first half-marathon yesterday, and wow, I finally feel like I have experienced a runner’s high. The adrenaline of having thousands of people cheering you on for two hours was surreal. And the hard work that went into preparing for this race made the victory (of finishing it) all the sweeter.
​
After the half-marathon, though, the first news I saw on social media was the two individuals who broke the world record by running a sub-two-hour marathon in London.
​
I ran the half-marathon in two hours and six minutes.
​
What do you think my first emotion was seeing they broke the world record and finished 26.2 miles in the time it took me to run 13.1?

Honestly, it was a little defeating at first. The emotional, reflexive thought was wow, they literally ran twice as fast as I did for two hours. How insignificant my accomplishment felt in that moment.
​
But after that fleeting moment, I considered again how I had never run 13 miles before in my life. Six months ago, I’m not sure I had ever run longer than six miles. And now I was able to experience Brooklyn on foot, getting cheered on by thousands of strangers and basking in the payoff of the months of hard work.
​
What a sweet, sweet victory it was that no one could take away from me.
​
Success is not pieces of a finite pie. I think sometimes people feel that one person’s success takes away or diminishes their opportunity for it. But we are all capable of succeeding despite what those around us are doing. Hard work, success, and a sense of accomplishment are pieces of an infinite supply. We are all able to take as much as we are willing to put into the work for.
​
Instead of using someone else’s story to judge where we think we should be, we can use their guidance to motivate and guide us. Consider the mistakes of those who have gone before you and learn from their guidance so you don’t make the same errors.
​
You can also use someone else’s drive to stimulate your own. During the first few miles of the run, I used those around me to set the pace, so I had a target to keep up with. It didn’t frustrate me if someone got further ahead because it did not impact my ability to finish the race.
​
This all sounds like common sense until we start comparing ourselves to everyone around us. Someone else’s success does not limit our own ability to be successful.
​
If you found some value in this, please share it with a friend you think would enjoy it! And let me know if you’d like to be added to get TGIM.
​
On to the next!
​
Shannon