Keeping Up with the Joneses: How to Use Social Comparison to Up Your Game

Ah, the Joneses. Have you ever wondered just who these Joneses are? And why on earth do we try so hard to keep up with them?

The fact is, social comparison is one of the ways we human beings judge ourselves. We look to others’ achievements to assess our own accomplishments. We wonder: How am I doing, anyway? Am I at least as successful as the guy next door?

We compare and contrast ourselves to an array of other people - colleagues, competitors, family and friends. We look at their achievements and use them as a yardstick for answering questions like: Am I doing as well as they are? Am I as attractive? As thin? As smart? As well-liked? As wealthy?

And where does all of this comparison leave us, anyway? Well, that depends on what you do with it. Best case scenario, it works to motivate and inspire you. You think to yourself: If they can do it, so can I! Worst case, it can be completely demoralizing, as in, I’ll never be as good as they are, so why bother?

The key is to be aware of the social comparisons you’re making - and to harness these comparisons for your own growth. What does your competitor – or your colleague or your neighbor or your sister or whomever – do especially well? How can you learn from these people? Which of their strategies and techniques can you adopt in order to improve your own effectiveness?

Use others’ successes as inspiration - and take action to up your own game. Before you know it, the Joneses may be trying to keep up with you!

Until next time…

Liz