How to Stop Comparing and Stand Out from the Competition

Sometimes as women, when we have a break in our career to have kids our confidence can be impacted. Whether it is the sleep deprivation or the changes in hormones or something else, mums often don’t feel the same way about themselves or their abilities after a break in their career.

Motherhood results in women going through a wide spectrum of emotions and life as they knew it changes, as their entire universe revolves around another human.

When it’s time to get back to work, our minds can automatically start flooding with questions like “Am I good enough, how can I compete with others?” etc. These thoughts just add to the stress and can impact our confidence further.

The guilty feelings of leaving our baby in someone else’s care, on top of the pressure of getting back to work can make us feel low and prevent us from being in the best frame of mind.

In these situations, we need to work on our mindsets to get our confidence back on track.

Once you are ready to get back to work, you will notice a few things may have changed whilst you were busy focusing on being a mum. Your peers may appear to be smarter, more capable and a few steps ahead in comparison to you.

With comparing yourself to others, you enter a dangerous territory. People you think are worth comparison may not be as great as they appear.

Also, although competition can be a source of motivation, it also can have many negative impacts.

Competing and comparing yourselves to your peers, feeling good when you outperform them and feeling bad when they outperform you is unhealthy.

The pressure of competing with others will keep you stuck in the mode of always needing to prove yourself and believing that you have to be better.

Competition cannot help you to accomplish your life goals. If you really want to achieve your dream, dedicate time and energy to your own values, run your own race and stay focused on your own plan.

Awareness of what’s going on around you is fine. For example, you might have come across a successful mother turned entrepreneur who is getting all the attention on social media. Instead of looking at her as competition, you could look to her as your role model.

The following parameters will help you to stop comparing yourself but to understand what’s going on around you and help you stand out from the competition:

Learn more about them:
Identify your competitors and research well about their achievements, market and customers. Such knowledge will offer you a better lead. This will not only prepare you for the future but will also help you to set your goals and objectives.

Innovation is the key:
When you are making a comeback, why not start with a fresh new approach. If you are starting your own venture, it has to be creative and new. For all who are rejoining their workplace, surprise your colleagues with a new idea or strategy.

Differentiate yourself from others:
There must be something unique about you. It may be the way you deal with your clients, the way you deliver your message or even how you inspire. Set yourself apart from the crowd and try something quirky to get noticed.

Boost your relationships:
This is a very vital aspect that will make you feel like you’ve never been on leave. Staying at home for a long span of time might have impacted on the relationships you had with your clients and colleagues previously. Once you are back, reconnect, make them feel comfortable and share the same warmth you had earlier. A strong relationship is the best sign of success.

Own Your Goal!

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