How to Mitigate the Sting of Comparison

In my CrossFit gym, I never expect to be at the top of the leaderboard.

That’s not negativity; it’s simply a realistic assessment of my strength, speed, and skills relative to the other athletes in my gym.

The membership is stacked with women who are stronger, faster, and have more natural athletic ability than I do. These women inspire me every day to work hard and bring my best.

That said, I’ll admit that sometimes it can feel demoralizing: I show up to train every day. I work hard. And yet I often rank toward the bottom.

Comparison is natural, but sometimes it stings.

There are ways to mitigate the sting.

2 Ways to Mitigate the Sting of Comparison

(1) Avoid It

One way is to avoid the leaderboard altogether. Plenty of people show up for class, do the workout, and don’t log their scores. Or they log them and keep them private. They may not look at the leaderboard.

That’s certainly a way to avoid the sting of comparison. Just refuse to compare at all.

Read: 3 Types of Comparison to Avoid

But that also avoids the utility of comparison.

Comparison tells me where I am relative to others. It can provide useful information. It shows me the skills I need to work on and gives me people to ask for advice on how to build those skills.

(2) Start From Within

A better way to mitigate the sting of comparison is to work from the inside first.

Set your goals based on your strength and skill level. Know how you want to approach the workout. Then, after the workout, before you compare your result to others’ results, compare your results to your intentions.

• Did you accomplish what you wanted to?
• Did you follow your plan?

If yes, then that’s what matters most. Hold onto that as you look at the other results.

If not, consider what got in your way, so you can create a different strategy for next time.

When I take this approach, then my comparison of my result against others’ results becomes strictly about determining skills and strategies I can apply the next time, rather than a judgment about my performance.

It preserves the benefits of comparison while removing the sting.