Comparison Kills Creativity

When I was a kid, I had a group of friends I would hangout with. I don’t remember when it started, but I was always comparing myself to them.

They all have their hair up, my hair is down. I like my hair down. Should I put it up? Is up better? Are they better?

My friends have all the clothes they want, do I look stupid? Why are they smaller than me? Why can’t I turn and leap like them?

That same little girl is in my head everyday, comparing and questioning who I am. Am I pretty like them? Smart like them? Creative like them?

It’s exhausting.

Why is it “like them”, why not “like me”? It killed the spark of ME in me.

In ESP 252, I have learned that everyone is different, with different values, stories, and strengths. So what good does it do to sit here and compare myself to someone that is not a single thing like me?

It doesn’t.

We can learn from each other, grow with each other, but let’s cut the constant comparison. Because I’m pretty freaking cool too. And so are you. So take it, run with it, and leave behind anyone that tries to pull you down.

By: Ella Brayton
Year: Junior
Major: Emerging Technology in Business and Design
Minors: Entrepreneurship and Digital Innovation
Hometown: Lima, Ohio
Fun Fact: I have a scar on my eyelid from a giant bouncy ball