If I had been born in the Boston, Massachusetts region, then in my lifetime, I could say that my professional sports teams had combined for 14 championships.
I was born in Seattle.
My city has exactly one championship in that same span — the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII.
And if I am being honest, comparing those two ledgers used to drive me a little crazy.
But here is what I have learned over time: comparing your timeline to someone else's is one of the fastest ways to make yourself miserable and one of the slowest ways to actually build anything.
Somebody is always going to look like they are further ahead. More successful, more connected, more confident, more together. And the longer you spend watching what is happening on their field, the less time you are spending building something on yours.
The most dangerous form of comparison is not the obvious kind. It is the quiet kind — the one that makes you feel like you should be somewhere you are not yet, doing something you have not yet built, living a life you have not yet earned.
Keep your eyes on your own field. Build what you are building with the full force of your attention. Let other people's wins be background noise, not your measuring stick.
Your timeline is your own. And the things you are building deserve your full focus.