The drill sergeant still looms large
Before I knew I had pneumonia, I had recorded a podcast--even though it was a little hard to breathe. The irony is that the podcast is about how my drill sergeant tells me I have to be productive at all costs.
How comparison hurts you
While thoughts and feelings about comparison are inevitable, it's helpful to see how comparisons get processed by Anxiety, the Drill Sergeant, and the Inner Critic.
Look who’s talking
After naming and validating your feelings, the next step is to examine the thoughts going through your head. Because most people don't practice mindfulness, we identify with our thoughts without examining whether they are based in reality and whether we agree with them. In order for a thought to be compassionate, it must be true and kind. Thoughts that are not compassionate are usually unhelpful. They may get us through the day, but not happily so. We all have voices in our head. This does not make you schizophrenic or have multiple personality disorder. Three voices to look out for when you are feeling overwhelmed are: 1) Anxiety, 2) the Drill Sergeant, and 3) the Inner Critic.
The two resources you may be undervaluing
Most people understand the value of money, whether or not that results in treating it as a valuable resource. The amount of our salary, whether we get raises, bonuses, and…