Very often I hear from young parents: “Look at Masha (Petya, Tanya) and yourself!” Thus, the habit of constantly comparing ourselves with someone more successful is laid down in us at an early age and for the rest of our lives. Since childhood, we have been assigned more successful classmates: smart, neat, neat. Gradually we begin to compare ourselves with those around us. It turns into a habit and then into an addiction. And so, we, adults, consciously begin to look for shortcomings in ourselves, to compare our failures with the achievements of others. Stop! It's time to fight this. Let's learn to praise ourselves. Have you noticed that judging someone is much easier than praising them? The same mechanism works with oneself. We downplay the importance of our own successes and are shy about compliments. Moreover, we do not compare ourselves with losers who dropped out of school and became addicted to alcohol. It is much more interesting to look up to the rich and successful, so against their background we seem insignificant. Exercise: Set a goal. We are trying to achieve. We praise ourselves. There are so many reasons to praise yourself: good job, wonderful friends, interesting hobby. Concentrate on YOUR positive qualities. Don't be ashamed of yourself. Don't copy other people's lives. Don't run after other people's ideals. This is the path to dissatisfaction with yourself and the world around you. There is only one life and you won’t be able to live it a second time. Learn to analyze your own needs in isolation from public pressure. There is no need to chase the latest smartphone model just because a colleague bought one for himself. Don’t be jealous When we envy, we involuntarily compare ourselves with others. Envy causes feelings of inferiority. Self-esteem drops. We begin to delve into ourselves, trying to figure out: “Why not me?” Learn to enjoy other people's successes. Try to calmly analyze your envy. For example: A friend talks about his successes at work. You listen to him calmly, because nothing he says bothers you. And suddenly he says that in a month he is going on vacation to Dubai. These words make you feel a pang of burning envy. This means that at the moment you lack rest and new experiences. This is exactly what you want most now. Separate your true desires from imposed goals. Do you want to go to Dubai? Figure out your desires. Maybe this is an imposed stereotype, and a trip to St. Petersburg would bring you more pleasure? Do you really want to spend your entire salary on a new smartphone model or is it just a desire to “be like everyone else”? The same applies to promotions. Everyone strives to become a boss, forgetting that a leader is, first of all, a responsibility. Not all people have the type of character to lead. Are you sure you will like it? Only by learning to recognize your needs can you get rid of the habit of comparing yourself to others. Don’t set the bar too high. Remember, success is not achieved out of the blue. To do this, you need a base in the form of experience, connections, capital. The path to success from a clean slate is long. It is impossible to avoid mistakes and failures. Everything takes time. There is no need to punish yourself for not being able to become a millionaire in six months. Only focusing on your own achievements will allow you to move forward.