Notes

The internet always highlights the first place winners, the billionaires, the award-winning artists, the best-selling authors, the largest philanthropists, the extraordinary. Their stories are ones of success, of inspiration. They show us what is possible, and push us to achieve more.

But I don’t feel inspired when I see extraordinary. I feel disappointed, jealous. My constant exposure to these amazing stories of success has normalized the extraordinary. I started comparing myself to these “normal” extraordinary people, and wondered why I was not them. This disappointment would incite me to take action, but after a few days of hard work, I would just quit. Quitting was easier; it helped me avoid thinking about the extraordinary and the negative dark clouds that I had shrouded it with.

A good essay on the need to escape the mental trap of comparing yourself to others.