For many of us, what we want and what we have are on two different sides of the spectrum. As an entrepreneur who lays out goals, sets standards and takes action, many times I find myself comparing my own online business success to others – especially when things are not playing out quite as well as I expect them too.

As competitive, purpose driven and hungry entrepreneurs, it’s easy to find yourself putting yourself down, doubting your ability and worrying about how you are going to make it all work.

But I’ve quickly come to realize that while you can control much of your success and failures in life by the decisions you make, there are other contributing factors in play that go far beyond our reach that we just can’t do anything about.

Sometimes Life Just Sucks!

Life is hard. Business is hard. It’s not perfect and many times things just do not go our way. There are times when life just sucks! And while we may look at other entrepreneurs in our industry, people we may follow on Facebook or through popular blogs, and think “dang that girl has it all together” – the perfect business, they perfect brand, the perfect family, the perfect life – it’s important to note that you may just have it more together than they do.

The Danger of Comparing Yourself To Others

What appears to be so, may not be true!

In the world on online entrepreneurship, much of what you see from industry leaders and marketers is what they want you to see. Just think of any celebrity. Their goal is to project a certain lifestyle that makes their core audience say “I want to be them” and many times that lifestyle is way out of reach for the majority of the people who buy their music or watch their films. But it is the ability to give their audience a piece of the “celebrity” lifestyle that gives them their fame and money.

Well the same applies to a great online entrepreneur. They are able to teach, share and convey a lifestyle that aspiring entrepreneurs want to tap in to as well. You do a good job at this, and you can make a lot of money.

But this is where many online entrepreneurs and business owners get caught up. Instead of trying to find their own unique voice, their own personal marketing message and develop their own brand, they are chasing, copying and comparing themselves to someone else who has already found success in their arena of expertise.

Look at any marketer who has carved out a massively successful niche for themselves in the market place. You will find that there is no one else like them. They are one-of-a-kind, they bring a breath of fresh air to the industry and offer a unique perspective in a way that allows them to let their own personalities shine as they help others build success too.

So if we know and understand that we have a better chance of success if we are just able to be ourselves, although we tell ourselves not to, why do we continue to compare ourselves to others? Why do we continue to mentally beat ourselves up for not having a business as successful as theirs, or as many twitter followers, or as many facebook fans as they do, or…or…or…

Success Comes From Within

Click here for the tweetable -  “Don’t compare your insides to my outsides.” – @andreabolder. To truly make a mark in this business, you must understand and embrace this powerful quote.

You never know what someone else has endured or had to go through to get to where they are today. You have no clue what challenges, set backs, hurdles or demons they had to face to come out on the other end victorious. You have no idea how much money they’ve spent, who they had to connect with or how their mindset had to shift to claim success. You also have no idea if they’re truly as happy, successful, or grateful as they appear on the outside.

Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop comparing your business to others. Stop comparing your success to others.

Begin to concentrate on getting YOU the life you want — not the life you think someone else has.

Focus on YOU.  Focus on YOUR goals. Focus on YOUR priorities. Focus on what makes YOU happy…and if you work hard enough at it…you’ll have people comparing themselves to you!

- Andrea Bolder