Heard the online experts say that comparing yourself to others is bad for your self esteem and self belief?
It can be when:
- A project you thought was going to start this week has been delayed for another month,
- The prospective client with an exciting collaboration has decided to put it on hold, or
- An exciting opportunity for your business to expand has stalled.
When you’re having a “ho-hum, nothing feels like it’s working for me or my business” kind of day, comparing yourself to your colleagues and competitors in your industry will only make you feel worse!
If you look back over your search history for your internet browsers and social media accounts, you’ll notice most of the searches you make are within your industry.
When you feel stuck in this mindset, it’s time to clear your cache and shake things up!
By looking outside of your industry for inspiration, you’ll open up space for light-bulb moments and insights to appear.
But don’t just search online for inspiration.
Head to a bookshop or a magazine stand and buy magazines you’ve never looked at before.
One of my favourite all time inspiration magazines is “The Collective” – if you haven’t read it yet, here’s their website.
I use this method a lot. If I’m writing website content for a Yoga instructor I’ll have a list of their competitors, keywords and target audience preferences on hand.
But to make their website content stand out, I’ll get ideas from other industries that may include health food manufacturers and eco tourism companies.
Comparing yourself to businesses outside of your industry will help you:
- Discover new methods of presenting information and images, or
- Find out about a different way to attract attention to your business.
Give it a try and let me know how you go!
