When you compare yourself to another entrepreneur, whether on a monetary scale, experience, or scope, you may come away feeling inadequate. Comparisons of this sort are dangerous because when you feel like another individual is ahead of you in some aspect, feelings of jealousy, bitterness, and inadequacy can creep in quickly. Compare yourself closely to someone at the top of your industry and your confidence might take a hit. Conversely, if you compare yourself to others who you know you are ahead of in your field, you open the door for pride, boasting, and complacency. Entrepreneur and author Jack Canfield once said of making comparisons “I generally find that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness. No one ever compares themselves to someone else and comes out even. Nine times out of ten, we compare ourselves to people who are somehow better than us and end up feeling more inadequate.”
Failure and public embarrassment can also lead to feelings of inadequacy. Having the whole world watch you fall flat on your face isn’t exactly a confidence booster. However, failing at some point or another in the journey is inevitable. If someone tells you “all I do is win,” they are lying to you. Even the most successful entrepreneurs can’t avoid occasional losses. In his book Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holliday puts losing in this perspective: “With wisdom, we understand that these positions are transitionary, not statements about your value as a human being.”
Searching for value in the wrong places is sure to lead to either pride or inadequacy, sometimes both. To avoid these dangerous emotions, I coach men in my mastermind groups to focus on the principles of true success and significance. When inadequacy rears its ugly head, I ask the entrepreneurs where they are placing their value.
Jim Cockrum, Amazon- and Ebay-selling guru and author of Silent Sales Machine, encourages entrepreneurs to always put the spotlight on their team, and give the glory to God anytime they receive praise for their accomplishments. Making it more about others than yourself goes a long way in keeping pride from becoming a downfall. When it comes to inadequacy Jim says, “No matter what level of success you achieve, you’ll always battle with the inadequacy syndrome in the back of your mind.” To avoid making comparisons to others that may lead to pride or inadequacy, Jim focuses on serving God and applying scripture to his everyday life.
If inadequacy attempts to attack successful entrepreneurs like Jim Cockrum and Ryan Holliday, you can be sure that you will encounter it on your journey too. The key to conquering a spirit of inadequacy is making sure you put your big rocks first and have your values in the right place. When you gauge the competition and think you don’t measure up, you’re probably not making a comparison that is going to benefit you. Take a look at your priorities and make sure your values align to a life of true significance and success. If you need real-life examples of this, you can find them in my book View From the Top.
