Success Isn't As Easy As It Looks

My day job as an admissions counselor for a university blesses me with the opportunity to help others achieve their goals on a daily basis. Sometimes my coworker and I will look at the passport photo of an international student who is on their way to our campus to obtain their Master’s degree and say, “OMG, this lady is only 22?!!!”
Our conversations throughout the day are mostly positive, but sometimes we fall down a “rabbit hole of envy.” I realized the other day that it’s so easy to do this in all areas of life. As we strive to meet our own goals, we cannot help but to compare ourselves to those around us. This “Internet envy hole” as Sarah Von Bargen calls it, is not productive and can lead to some continuous negative thinking patterns.
Luckily, the first thing I saw in my email this morning was an uplifting and inspiring message from Sarah Von Bargen and I just had to share her words of wisdom!

“WHEN WE SEE OTHER PEOPLE’S SUCCESS WHAT WE’RE REALLY SEEING IS…

* Years and years of polishing, honing, and perfecting a craft
* Parties skipped and weekends worked
* Thousands of dollars invested in courses, tools, consultants
* A jillion emails, pitches, and comments sent
* Lots and lots of compromises and second thoughts
* A certain amount of right-place-right-timing”
It all comes down to working hard and not falling into the trap of thinking others aren’t working hard too. We are all busy and we all have real life problems that are valid and tend to get in the way of our long term goals. Yet, if we can learn to keep our eye on the target and just keep moving forward we WILL see results.
Not every successful person just got lucky. Many work their asses off and sacrifice immediate gratification and fulfillment to create their ideal future.
As Sarah Von Bargen suggests:
“Let’s make a pact. When the inevitable happens – when we’re just a little jealous of someone else’s success – let’s make an active decision to view that success through the lens of reality. Instead of the gorgeous, impressive endgame, let’s squint our eyes and see all the hard work they put into that success.”
A little bit of jealousy is a great tool to inspire us to work harder, but if you’re constantly dampened by thoughts of jealousy then it’s time to change the way you look at those around you! Work hard and keep you eye on the target! You’ll get there, we’ll all get there!
Photo Credit: Christopher Walzer
Model: Nichole Johnson
Link to original post: http://www.sarahvonbargen.com/blogging/when-you-see-success/