In this episode, I talk about something that keeps coming up in my own projects: the trap of comparing yourself to others. When I first started learning Spanish, I’d constantly compare myself to other learners and beat myself up over not being as good. That kind of mindset really messed with my confidence. And now, even after all these years of language learning, I’ve found myself doing the same thing—but this time with running. I’ve been training for a bunch of half marathons, and every time I open up Strava, I see people running faster, longer, and more consistently. It’s easy to start feeling like a failure all over again. But what I’ve learned—both with languages and now with running—is that comparison is a losing game. Everyone has a different starting point, different challenges, and different goals. You can’t compare apples to oranges.

Instead, I’ve found it way more productive to focus on my own progress. Whether I’m improving my pace with running or reaching the next level in a language, the goal is just to be a little better than I was yesterday. I share how I’ve learned to let go of perfectionism and stop chasing the impossible standard of being the “best.” The truth is, no matter how far you go, there will always be someone ahead of you. But that doesn’t mean you’re not doing great. If you stay consistent, you will see improvement—and that’s what really counts. So whatever project you’re working on, whether it’s language learning or something totally different, I hope this episode gives you a bit of encouragement to focus on your own journey and feel proud of how far you’ve come.

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Comparison is your enemy in a big project

Language & Travel Hacking

Comparison is your enemy in a big project