Kicking Butt in Kung Fu and in Life!

Chapter 7 - No two people have the same path in life, so don't compare

One of the things humans do best is to compare ourselves to others. This is a waste of time and something you need to stop. Don't compare other people and don't compare yourself. Truly successful people in life know this and know it well.

In Kung Fu, you start out doing the same moves day in and day out. These are the foundational moves that are built upon, and it is these moves that must be mastered. At the beginning, everyone is taught these moves in the same way, but what happens at the advanced level is that these moves begin to be executed in the way that mirrors the rhythm of the person using them. At the advanced level, these moves are no longer robotic and simple, but incorporate complexity and mastery and begin to look as different as the person performing them.

This is what life looks like too. Every single person is on a journey. None of us are a finished product and it isn't easy to know where anyone else is on their path of development. To judge others or compare therefore is silly if not ignorant. God is the potter and we are the clay.

When people compare themselves to others it usually produces one of two results. They either feel better about themselves because they are farther along, or they feel bad about themselves because they aren't as far along. Both are bad. You are not better than or less than any other person on this planet. To achieve true greatness in life, you need to understand this fully.

Human nature comes into play here so be ready. Most people want to be above you on that ladder of success, or on just about the same rung anyway. Most people don't want you way up on top so comparisons may come in to bring you down or raise themselves up. It is all an illusion though so don't engage. Every single person is as unique as their fingerprints. Each of us has gifts and talents that are ours alone, and each of us was made in the image of God.

When you look at another person learn to see their greatness. Learn to see what is hidden. See beyond what the world values and try to find the uniqueness that makes each person amazing. Our role for others should be to encourage their greatness. We should never be intimidated by the gifts we see in them, but instead, they should remind us of the greatness that may be lying dormant inside.

You will find your own greatness ironically when you begin calling it out in others. For some reason, we seem to deny our own greatness, but witnessing it in those around us comes naturally. When we can let others be a reflection into ourselves, we both will win.