EPISODE 053 | How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Other OTs

Have you ever been in a situation where a colleague shares one of their wins -- and while you want to feel happy for them, you instead there's a part of you that cringes on the inside? Or maybe you've had a peer share their successes and instead of feeling inspired, their announcement made you feel bad, like you weren't enough.

My friend, you are not alone. Which is why on today's episode, we're doing a deep dive into this idea of comparing ourselves to others, especially in the OT space.
 
In this episode you’re going to hear me talk about: 

• How comparing ourselves to others can sometimes lead to inspired action -- but it can also stop us in our tracks
• Common scenarios where comparisonitis may rear it's ugly head
• Tricks + tools to help you stop comparing yourself to others
• How we all have our own unique contributions to make in the world

I hope you resonate with parts of this episode and that you're excited for all the great things to come, whether that's our individual achievements or our collective accomplishments as a profession! 

If you have any feedback or thoughts that you want to share with me, take a quick screenshot and share with me on IG, tag me @otsgonerogue.com. You can also connect with me through our Facebook page  @otsgonerogue or by going to our contact form, https://www.otsgonerogue.com/podcast-contact. 

Transcript

Melissa LaPointe  0:06  
You're listening to the OTs Gone Rogue Podcast, where we inspire therapists to think outside the box and do things differently. I'm your host, Melissa LaPointe. My passion is in helping ot entrepreneurs have a bigger impact on the world while building a life they love and doing transformative work that lights them up. On each episode of the show, I'm going to share tools and tricks to help you flex your entrepreneurial muscles and grow your business from the inside out. I want to see more OTS step up as visionary leaders, change makers and influential CEOs. So let's get started.

Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the OTs Gone Rogue Podcast. Before we dive into today's episode, I want to share a little more of what's going on behind the scenes here at our rogue headquarters. This year, I'm really leaning into better systems in my business, have been doing this for a while. And I have declared a 2023 as the year that I'm really going to work on getting into a rhythm. So a rhythm with program delivery, with showing up on social media, with our weekly email newsletter, and yes with podcast production. So consistency is the name of the game for me this year. And with this increase in consistency, I'm sure that many of you have noticed that we've been rolling out more episodes. So since January, we have been consistently rolling out weekly episodes on the podcast, which means that I have that many more opportunities to host amazing guests who are doing really really cool things in the world. Take last week's guest, for example, the lovely Sarah Lyon. Now, not only is Sarah doing great things, but through her work through this platform that she's created with ot potential. She's also featuring many more OTS who are doing equally great things. This is amazing, right? Well, it is. But today, I want to be honest, for a moment, I want to talk about what can happen sometimes. So seeing other people succeed in the OT space, it doesn't always feel amazing for all of us. Now, this is a no judgment zone, meaning I'm going to be brutally honest. And I'm going to encourage some of you to pull back the curtain and really be true to some of the emotions some of the feelings that may have come up for you on this journey of going rogue, which is leading into the topic of today's episode, comparison itis. So comparing ourselves to others of the good and the bad. This is something that I've personally struggled on my so I've struggled with this on my entrepreneurial journey. So as I have worked on doing things differently, as I have been leaning into increased visibility, it's a lot of personal growth and development. And I know that it's something that a lot of our listeners have struggled with as well. And you guys know me, if you're a new listener, you're going to learn this about me. So I am all about talking about the elephant in the room. Because when we acknowledge it, when we bring awareness to it when we talk about it, we're then opening ourselves up to personal growth opportunities to a different way of doing things so to speak. So on today's episode, I want to talk about how comparing ourselves to others can sometimes lead to being motivated to step up to take action. But comparing ourselves to others can also stop us in our tracks, where we find ourselves dealing with insecurities and self doubt, because there are a myriad of different emotions and feelings that can often be brought up in these situations, especially when we see others being put in the spotlight for their accomplishments and their successes. All right, let's take this conversation a little bit further. I want you to think of a time where there was someone in your circle If it could be another ot with a similar niche, or another ot that's enrolled in one of the same programs as you. Or maybe it's an OT entrepreneur that's in one of your Facebook groups, or someone that you've worked with in the past. Basically, I want you to think of someone that in many ways you perceive as being appear as being someone that's on your level. Now, I want you to go back to a time where they've shared about a really big win that they've had. So maybe they landed an amazing interview, so an amazing podcast interview, and they rocked it at a time where you're struggling to show up. Or maybe they have just had the best program launch ever. And it's just a few short weeks after you had a launch that didn't do so well. Or maybe they're sharing about hitting their revenue goal, during a month where you're struggling to make ends meet. Maybe they're highlighting how amazing their spouses and all the wonderful ways that their partner is contributing to what's now the family business, when your spouse has no interest in your entrepreneurial journey, and continues to pressure you to get a real job. Is something coming up for you? Is there some situation or some experience from the past where you can relate to what I'm saying? Do you have a scenario where this has happened? Where you remember how you felt? Did you feel excited and happy for them? Or maybe, did it make you feel a little bit crappy about your own situation? Did it make you feel bad, like maybe you weren't enough, or you weren't doing enough? And of course, whenever we have those moments where we feel bad, where we make it about ourselves? I know for a lot of us, that's usually, you know, usually then that's followed by feelings of guilt, by feelings of shame that you were even feeling this way in the first place. Knowing Oh, I really should be happy for them. I shouldn't be making this about me, though, we're really good at bottling that up and not talking about it. So in full disclosure, I have been in these situations, I've been in these situations more times than I can count. There have been a lot of times where I'm going through my own stuff. And I've been triggered by other people's wins. I've had times where I've generated a lot of self doubt, and self criticism in light of other people's successes. I've also had a number of my clients share similar thoughts, where in the work that we're doing together in the container that I have created for us, they are sharing with me that they have been triggered or, you know, why is that person able to do it, but I can't What is wrong with me, and I've helped them to work through this, I've helped them to come out the other side, meaning I'm speaking from experience. And I'm going to share some of the tools that I've learned. So tools that I've learned to coach others through this, in addition to effectively managing my own brain when it comes to doing this work. So the things that I have learned, where I am no longer holding myself back. Things that I've learned that I'm sharing with my clients, where they are feeling better about the work that they're doing, and respecting where they are on their own journey. So let's start by sharing some facts. Fact, we are each on our own unique journey with our own timeline. Meaning we want to be careful about comparing the first chapter of our story with the middle chapter of someone else's story. Fact, we all experience a combination of positive and negative, meaning when you see someone going through something. It's like seeing an iceberg. You are only privy to the top layer. You have no idea what's happening behind the scenes. And so often we can romanticize what someone's going through when in reality. They've had their own share of struggles. Or maybe they're not sharing the full story. We are only seeing that that social media post We are only seeing know that information that they're sharing that announcement, we're not seeing all the details behind the scenes. Fact, nobody else has a brain or a story like yours with your collection of skills and experiences. Meaning when you're accessing your brain for knowledge, when you think about the contribution you're meant to make in the world, I hope you can learn to trust that you have something within yourself that is worth offering. So as we continue on this journey together, as I continue to shine the spotlight on some pretty amazing OTS through this podcast, and on our social media accounts,

as I continue to work on my own stuff, so you know, this journey I'm on in appreciating my own level of awesomeness and shouting, sharing my own wins from the rooftops. This is what I want us to work on together. So when one of us experiences success, think of this as a ripple effect that happens for all of us, we have to understand that there is not a finite amount of success and opportunity in the world. When you look at other people, and you're frustrated because of their success, that's wasted energy that's taking away from your own awesomeness. Instead, I want to invite you to appreciate their work, I want to invite you to be inspired by them, maybe even motivated, if it's a success or accomplishment that you think you can have some day. So I want you to consider these three things in light of our peers doing amazing things. First, consider is this something that I could be inspired by? Is this something that I could feel good appreciating? Or is this something that could motivate me? And if the answer is no, this is a great opportunity for you to dig deeper into your own stuff. So this is a great opportunity for coaching, whether you're working with your own coach or doing some self coaching. Second thing I want you to consider, it is really hard to feel both gratitude and resentment at the same time. Meaning you get to choose how you feel in a given moment. Don't make someone else's successes or wins be about you. Instead, celebrate the work that they're doing, knowing they're helping to carve out a path for more of us to do this work. The third thing I want you to consider is that we need every single one of us, there is no one more worthy, and there is no one better than anyone else. We all have our own contribution to make in the world. And these contributions are all unique and very different. And so instead of looking out into the world, to see what's great, and what's amazing and to try to be like that, I want to recommend that you look inside, and you bring something new to the world. I want to suggest that you bring some magnificence, some level of awesomeness that maybe we've never seen before, a way of doing things that is unique to you. And I think that the more of us who do this in the OT profession, the more of us who are embracing where we are on this journey, the more interesting that the world becomes. All right. That is it for today's episode. I hope you resonated with some of what I was sharing today. And that you're excited for all the great things to come. Whether that's our individual achievements or our collective wins as a profession. As always, I really appreciate hearing from you. So that includes any takeaways, any aha moments or any feedback on the podcast. You can reach out through the contact form on our website. And so go check out otsgonerogue.com or you can find me hanging out on Instagram, the handle otsgonerogue, or simply subscribe to our email newsletter so you can find the subscription and get on that list and then hit reply any of our weekly newsletters just hit reply and share your thoughts. I love seeing your messages come up in my inbox. It is often a highlight of my day. Okay, take care of my friends, and I will see you next week.