Comparison in Action: How It Sabotages Leaders Before They Start
Comparison Detox — Week 3
🚦 The Subtle Ways We Sabotage Ourselves
When people think of comparison, they picture the mental loop: scrolling, measuring, feeling less-than.
But for leaders and entrepreneurs, comparison is rarely just mental.
It creeps into how you act.
When I was building my business, I’d have ideas sitting in journals for months. I’d tweak, polish, and “prepare” — but the truth was I was stalling. I wasn’t scared of the idea itself. I was scared it wouldn’t look as good as what someone else had already put out.
On the outside, it looked like strategy. On the inside, it was sabotage.
And that’s what comparison does best:
👉 It doesn’t just distort your thoughts. It distorts your actions.
🔍 3 Patterns of Comparison Sabotage
1. Delay
This looks like procrastination — but it’s not laziness.
It’s the fear of launching something that won’t measure up.
2. Overcompensation
This looks like “going above and beyond.”
But if you’re overbuilding, overdelivering, and overcomplicating, it’s usually because comparison convinced you you’re not enough as you are.
3. Retreat
This looks like modesty.
But often, it’s shrinking away from visibility because someone else already claimed the space in your mind.
These three patterns — delay, overcompensation, retreat — are comparison in action.
And they’ll drain you before you ever get started.
🧠 Why We Mistake Sabotage for Strategy
The hardest part? These patterns don’t look like sabotage.
Delay looks like preparation.
Overcompensation looks like hard work.
Retreat looks like humility.
But underneath each one is the same false scoreboard:
“I’m not measuring up compared to them.”
And if you don’t question that scoreboard, you’ll keep running someone else’s race instead of your own.
🧰 The Behavior Intercept
Here’s how to catch yourself before comparison hijacks your next move:
Step 1 — Notice the Pattern
Pause and ask: Am I delaying, overcompensating, or retreating?
Step 2 — Name the Comparison
Who am I measuring myself against right now?
Step 3 — Ask the Intercept Question
👉 “Is this fear or flow?”
If it’s fear, comparison is in the driver’s seat.
Step 4 — Rechoose
Pick the action that aligns with your values — not your fear.
✨ Reflection
Where in my life am I delaying because I don’t feel “ready” compared to others?
How do I overcompensate in my work — and what does it cost me?
When have I retreated from visibility because I thought the space was already taken?
What’s one decision I could make this week from flow instead of fear?
🚀 The Liberated Leader’s Reminder
Comparison doesn’t just keep you thinking small.
It keeps you acting small.
But you have the power to intercept the pattern.
To name it. To rechoose.
Because sabotage isn’t strategy.
And fear isn’t flow.
This week, catch two moments where comparison influenced your behavior. Write them down. Ask yourself if it was fear or flow — and then choose again.
