You can make a lot of mistakes as a writer and still be successful. But one of the mistakes that will kill both your enthusiasm AND your success is constantly comparing yourself to others.

Let’s be honest: it’s almost impossible to avoid comparing yourself. It’s baked into our DNA to compare ourselves to others.

Social media has made it even harder. Whenever you see a friend hit a bestseller list or launch a new book, it’s hard not to feel jealous.

But that negative energy doesn’t help you with your own goals, does it? When you focus on what you lack, that negative mental energy slows you down and makes you feel bad about yourself.

Worse yet, what you see on social media is only a tiny part of other people’s lives. When you see a successful book launch, you’re only seeing the highlight reel. You don’t see the months—or even years—of hard work that went into the making of that book.

So instead of feeling jealous, let other writers’ success motivate you. You’re not on the same journey as they are. There is no point in comparing yourself because you either end up feeling bad about yourself, or you feel prideful because you seem to be doing better than someone else.

Both of those will take you off course.

You can learn from other writers, but don’t compare yourself. Comparison kills your energy and motivation. Instead of comparing yourself with others, compete against your own potential. This is the only true measurement of your success.

Today’s Challenge: Is there another writer who makes you jealous? (Even just a bit.) What can you learn from that person instead of feeling jealous of them?