A majority of us are laying in bed scrolling through Instagram, checking up on what our friends and favorite celebrities are doing, and then… it hits us. The silent killer – comparison.

This is the “I’m not doing enough” thought or the “I hate how imperfect my body is” thought.

As business owners, we also tend to see other people’s business accounts and think “I’m so behind!” or “There’s no way I could ever have a successful business like theirs AND maintain my social life.”

The comparison hit us like a ton of bricks and often leaves us drowning in a swarm of negative remarks about ourselves. 

Sometimes you may feel alone and that no one could possibly understand what you’re going through because everyone seems to have their entire life planned out, but deep down you know that there are others out there struggling to conquer the same hurdles as you. 

TIP: Purge your social media of all accounts that make you doubt your self-worth! 

When these waves of self-doubt kick in, you need to reframe your thoughts and ask yourself why you’re comparing yourself to another person in the first place. 

What is this comparison-itis accomplishing? Where will this negative self-talk lead?

If the answers aren’t going to benefit you in some way (which, SURPRISE, they won’t) then you need to learn how to step back, reflect on your negative self-talk, and find a way to acknowledge the thought without allowing it to affect your entire day. 

Moments of self-doubt are inevitable but continually comparing yourself to others is toxic for your mind and business. 

When it comes to doubting yourself in business – whether you’re struggling with imposter syndrome or you just don’t feel like you’re putting out your best work – take these steps to move forward.

Four Tips To Move Forward From Thought Cycles of Comparison & Self Doubt

1. Don’t Take It Personally

It’s easy to get caught up in our thoughts and feel completely alone in our misery, but it’s human to experience self-doubt. Seriously, we all do it. Remember that our brains are still wired to react to situations in caveman times. If we sense danger (like taking a risk in our business) we go into fight or flight mode. Your brain is in high-alert mode when you embark on something new in your business because it knows that if you don’t succeed there could be huge consequences. Your caveman brain doesn’t want you to fail so it pushes out self-doubt brain waves as a way to stop you from even starting.

2. Fall Back To Your Why

What’s driving you to create content and serve your community? The why behind your business is easily the most inspirational thing you can always fall back on. If you don’t show up to share the content you’re meant to put into the world, who will? Write out why you’re doing what you’re doing – essentially the mission behind your brand – and put it somewhere you’ll see every morning. A constant reminder of why you’re taking risks and building your business is so important to sustain yourself during the moments when you want to give up.

3. Remember That Everyone Else is Too Busy With Their Life To Care About Yours

Wait, what? The truth is, we all are too caught up in our own lives to truly pay attention and care about someone else’s. That’s right unless someone is a raving fan or they despise you on a guttural level, no one is watching your every move. Plus if they’re raving fans, they’re going to love whatever you put out into the world and if it’s that guttural hatred that brings them to your site, then you’re already winning because you’re gaining traffic from their mindless jealousy.  

4. Practice Moments of Gratitude

It’s too easy to get caught up in a thought cycle about all the things we don’t have. When this happens, we forget how lucky we are for the things that we do have in life. Whether that list consists of having a roof over your head, the knowledge and the capability to read this blog post, a peanut butter banana sandwich, or the fact that your dog didn’t bark at you all day while you were working from home – the magnitude of the items on your gratitude list doesn’t matter. If they brought you joy, if you’re thankful for these things being in your life, or if you’d be completely lost without them – include them.