Parallels

Comparison is a double-edged sword.

Comparison can be a great thing when seeking out inspirational life stories for personal motivation. It might not be so great when used as a measure of your own progress.

Athletes break records through discipline, dedication, and ability. They probably also break records by being conscious of records set by others before them. For them, such comparison would be motivation in knowing not only what’s possible, but what they could surpass.

Roger Bannister’s breaking of the four-minute mile barrier was the result of careful planning and partnership including having another runner (Chris Brasher) in the same race as a pacemaker. Mentors, friends, colleagues, or persons of notable success can serve as pacemakers not just to keep up with and give us a sense of how on track we are with our plans, but to surpass as we run towards our goals. When we know that comparison does not equal competition, we are secure enough to both run ahead of others and watch others run ahead of us in the same way you don’t get jealous (hopefully) when on the motorway and another vehicle drives past you. You know you’ll get to your own destination, so you keep it moving.

I am not advocating for mindless comparison. Especially not the form derived from scrolling through social media looking from the outside in at the illusion of success. I am instead nudging towards a carefully planned and thought-out drawing of parallels with those who are clearly ahead even in niche situations. Note that this is not limited to monetary success. In fact, the pursuit of purpose has little to do with money. It has everything to do with wholeness. We are no more whole than when we are walking in the path for which we exist.

Here are six ways to imbibe parallelism:

1. Seek out a character (living or dead) that inspires you and study as much material as you can find on what made them who they are/were. This can include interviews on YouTube, podcasts, or books.
2. Look up stories of those who fell short. What got in their way? This can be an excellent motivator away from what you don’t want to become.
3. If you aspire to be (one of) the best in your field of endeavour, define what that looks like. Foreknowledge of a desired destination can speed up arrival at said destination.
4. Find a partner. Not one to compete against, but one to compare notes with and draw motivation, correction, and direction from.
5. Set targets and track your progress. You should be able to record apparent differences between who you were and who you are becoming. If you can’t see tangible progress in reasonable time frames (measured against your specific goals), do some course correction and adjust your methods. There are many progress tracking tools that can be as simple as your pen and notebook (digital or print), or features in apps like Notion.
6. Motivate others. Be a light. Roger Bannister’s record did not stand for long. Top runners continue to run the sub-four-minute-mile. When you win, you show others what’s possible and become a parallel for them.