030: Comparison & How To Beat It w/ Brent Fikowski

Do you catch yourself Instagram stalking to check up on how other athletes are doing? Scrolling through the leaderboard to check your placings when really you should be in bed? Watching other athletes in workouts when you could be in your own lane?

Comparison has never been easier.

Instead of strawmanning this argument let’s take the side of comparison. Let’s listen to the voice in your head that says “just check the leaderboard one more time… let’s see what so and so did in that qualifier or how their training is going.” I mean, surely it provides some benefit, right?

When watching others you can identify things you can do better and even character skills to aim at. You may see the exact key that you need to unlock your next level.

But listen carefully. Is that voice saying things like “ah man, I admire so and so’s grit and determination, and here’s how I can work toward that.” or, is it saying things like “shit, I’m not good enough, I’m not strong enough, I’m too slow.”

What’s more, what does this do to your self belief? Improve it or lessen it?

It probably will give you a boost of motivation, but fear driven motivation is quick to disappear and can cause long term mindset challenges.

When you are deciding whether your comparison is useful or not, consider these three questions?

1. Does it make me feel more like or less like the person I want to be?
2. Does this help me create a relationship with myself which helps me?
3. And most importantly, what’s the story I’m telling myself?

In this episode with Brent Fikowski, we go into great length to discuss comparison and how to stop it.

One thing we can all take from this interview is Brent’s ability not to double down on his emotionally disruptive states by getting upset at himself. He’s aware enough not to let his anxiety make him anxious or stress make him more stressed.

This is one thing we can all be careful about: not becoming frustrated by our frustration or sad about our sadness. Experiencing the emotion once is enough.

Alongside comparison, we also discuss:

• Dealing with doubt
• Self-generated confidence
• Overcoming self-criticism
• How to handle online qualifiers
• And incorporating fun into training

If you enjoy this episode with Brent Fikowski AKA The Professor, make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss upcoming episodes.