There’s a big difference between trying to replicate someone’s success and comparing your results to their success.
Trying to replicate someone’s success (like a guru’s) can cut down your learning curve and get you farther down the road to success faster. BUT comparing your results to theirs is a mistake!
In fact, comparing results is one of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to succeed at something new. Let me explain why this is such a big mistake and how to avoid it.
What Am I Doing Wrong?
I was talking on the phone the other day with one of my students who’s learning about affiliate marketing.
He was telling me how he’s building his list and starting to see a few sales. I started to get really excited for him and was about to congratulate him when he dropped a “BUT…”
He said, “I’m starting to get some sales BUT everything I see online, everybody’s making more than me. What am I doing wrong?”
I asked him what he meant, and he started telling me about how THIS GUY on Facebook and THIS GAL on some webinar he was on were making more than him. He even mentioned a post on Facebook I made weeks earlier, where I showed how much money I made on one particularly good day, and then commenced to talk about how it's more than he's made in a month and...
“ERRRRR, STOP RIGHT THERE!” I said to him (And yes, I even made the screeching noise) “I can tell you right now what you’re doing wrong.”
I left him in suspense for a few moments and then said, “Your mistake is comparing yourself to others.”
Needless to say, it wasn’t the answer he wanted to hear, but it was definitely the answer he needed to hear. And it’s what most people need to hear whenever they try something new.
Why Comparing Your Results to Others' is a Mistake
Whether it’s trying to eat healthier, lose weight, learn a new skill, or make money in a new venture, comparing your results to others’ will only result in discouragement, frustration, and (in most cases) giving up.
This is especially true when that other person is a guru in their field, and here is why…
You are comparing your success to people who have likely failed more times than you have tried!
Do you think that internet marketer who shows screen-shots of $1,000 dollar days had that kind of success his first months?
Do you honestly think that fitness guru with the six-pack abs achieved that body within the first few weeks of joining the gym?
Or what about that artist who just sold a painting for $60,000. Do you think the first time they picked up a paintbrush was last year?
Of course not!
You shouldn’t compare your results to theirs because you're not seeing all of their failures… you're only seeing their successes.
And I'll bet you a million dollars that their failures FAR outweigh their successes.
Best-Case Scenario vs. Industry Average
What you see online, especially with gurus, is the best-case scenario. In most cases, they are the exception to the rule.
In fact, them being the exception to the rule is why they are considered gurus/experts in the first place!
The vast, vast, vast majority of people in any industry or endeavor don’t get any results. You’re only seeing the small percentage that is successful.
Let me explain by using affiliate marketing again as an example...
If you're not familiar, affiliate marketing is simply an online business model where you make money selling products that other people created.
Most people who try affiliate marketing make zero money. Only a select few turn some kind of profit, and even a more select few turn a substantial profit.
At the time of me writing this article, I've been doing affiliate marketing for almost 20 years. So, I know what I'm talking about when I tell you that it's safe to say that 80% of people who try affiliate marketing completely fail.
Out of the 20% who achieve some form of result...
15% do just "OK"...
4% do what you would consider "good"...
and only 1% achieve huge success!
And the truth of the matter is that those percentages apply to most things in life!
Just think about it… how many people do you know who’ve tried to lose weight have reached a fitness guru level? Probably not even 1%!
Here is the lesson:
You cannot look at the results others are getting and think that’s the industry average.
In almost every case, the industry average is failure! So, if you’ve experienced any degree of success, you are doing better than 80% of others out there. Stop comparing yourself to the 1%!
The fact that you’ve made a dollar or lost the first pound is a success.
But I Want Best-Case Scenario, Devon!
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking that you want to be the exception. You want the best-case scenario for your life. So, how do I do that, Devon?!
Well, the first step is to celebrate every small achievement. Celebrate that first dollar, then celebrate the next dollar, and the next. Keep celebrating because it will help you with the next step that is the key to success.
The next step to achieving exceptional success is to…
Be Patient!
The “BIG SECRET” that almost every successful person and every guru are privy to is that patience is the foundation of success. Patience equals consistency, and consistency equals success!
You have to keep at it. Keep moving forward. Keep enjoying the process.
Because the goal is never the goal- the journey is the goal. Only the journey will lead you to the end result you desire.
Stop Comparing Your Results to Others'
Keep reminding yourself that those others you admire have felt the same way you do now. They have felt discouragement and frustration. They have felt like they should be doing better than they are. But they were patient and kept moving forward.
Try to learn from their success but also learn from their endurance. Because all of the tricks, tips, and hacks they offer are worthless if not backed by consistency.
It’s okay (and highly recommended!) to try to replicate others’ success by replicating the actions that led them to success. But focus on their journey, not their end result. Just like you should focus on your journey and not your end result.
Because focusing on the journey is the only way to get to the desired result!
Instead of focusing on the dollars and the pounds, focus on the actions that will produce dollars and lose pounds.
So, stop comparing your results to others’ and start focusing on the actions that lead to those results!
Put Yourself In The Right Environment
The final key to becoming the exception (and not the rule), is to put yourself where you're surrounded by like minded people, and constantly getting positive reinforcement.
The easiest way to make this happen is to Join my Facebook Group and Subscribe to my YouTube Channel.
When you put yourself in the right environment, your likelihood of success increases exponentially!
