How much better are you than the next guy? Sadly, most of us do think we’re better than someone else.
But belittling others is actually a reflection of your own self-image.
If it’s okay to hold the position that you are superior, then it is a natural consequence that you feel inferior to others. You can’t have one without the other!
This constant comparison game will always leave you chasing those you think are better than you in one way or another. But you’ll never catch them all! So it is a far better use of time and energy to focus on your own growth and evolution.
Action – What did you do, think or say yesterday that was not your best? How can you improve upon that today?
As the proverb states – there is nothing noble in being superior to some other man; the true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.
(What did you just learn about yourself or someone close to you? Please share by using the comments box.)
This is very true. I would never admit it to anyone, but upon reflection, I see what you are talking about. How do I change that idea/thought/perception? I feel a GREAT weight would be lifted from me if I could shake it. Please advise.
Sounds to me that, by acknowledging it’s existence in your life, you have already begun the process 🙂
There are both ‘attitudes’ and ‘actions’ that can be shifted here. Primarily, it is in doing and believing in ways that build confidence within rather than judging the persona of others without.
At the practical level, it really is about building confidence – creating plans and intentions to achieve realistic goals; giving of your time to others who would value your expertise in any area (professionally or personally); living up to your promises to yourself; becoming aware of the old tapes that run in your head and taking actions to shut them up; and others.
Feeling ‘superior’ has nothing to do with confidence. In fact, generally speaking, superiority denotes low self-confidence and/or The Fraud Factor.
Creating a lifestyle and a way of being that is fundamentally based on your core values, your integrity and your sense of contribution to the world means that you will (a) see yourself as neither superior nor inferior and (b) reduce how you judge others and yourself. One becomes an integral part of the overall picture rather than an outsider looking in (because if you aren’t part of it, you must be outside of it).
And ironically, recognizing your unique greatness and actually LIVING IT, silences any sense of superiority (aka inferiority).