As We Think : Greatest Thoughts - If you find yourself constantly comparing your career to others

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We all compare ourselves with others at various times in our lives. To succeed in a competitive world, it’s only natural for us to benchmark our progress against the people around us. And for those with a high need for achievement, constant external comparison becomes a source of motivation and a way to set clear targets for career success.

If you find yourself constantly comparing your career to others, you may succumb to the painful sensation of envy, allowing someone else’s accomplishments to make you feel inferior. 

While envy can be motivating for some, for others, it can sabotage their chances of success. 

Four strategies you can use to stop the agony of comparison in its tracks and to eventually make envy work for you: 

• Remind yourself that while you can’t control envy, you most certainly can choose whether to feel shameful about it or not;
• Shift from comparison to curiosity; 
• Move toward, not away from, those you envy; and 
• View your career like a portfolio of investments, not one job

When you identify your self-worth by your job, you are setting up yourself for disappointment anytime you see someone surpassing you. But by defining your career as a diverse portfolio of time and talent investments you make to bring value to the world, you can hedge against the painful moments of feeling behind in some areas, with activities where you build a lead.

Greatest thoughts from : Nihar Chhaya is an executive coach to senior leaders at global companies, including American Airlines, Coca-Cola, GE, and Dell.