You’re Closer Than You Think

“How do I stop comparing myself to everyone around me?”

Great question.

1. Start stacking your work against people you look up to

I was on one of our HC Coaching calls with special guest Edward Lee, and he talked about stacking your work against people that you admire.

I don’t care how successful you are—we all have at least one person we look up to because of what they’ve achieved or created.

And if you say you don’t, you’re lying🙂

We are all greatly influenced by the content we consume and the creators we surround ourselves with.

This means most of your creativity isn’t original at all—it’s a reflection of the work that came before you.

And that’s not a bad thing either.

Your “standard” for what you consider a great final edit or project comes from the creators you admire.

But here’s the key: instead of just subconsciously stacking your work against theirs, start doing it intentionally.

Take their process apart.

As Edward says, reverse engineer what they did to achieve success.

What systems did they follow?

What strategic decisions did they make?

When you can break it down, you can learn faster—and replicate those results in your own unique way.

2. Have urgency in everything you do.

It’s easy to get comfortable and lose sight of how valuable your time really is.

If you want to level up quickly, you need to act with urgency.

Put down your phone, get off Instagram, and focus on creating more than you consume.

This doesn’t mean rushing or compromising on quality—It means every action you take should have intention.

Every task, every project should move you forward.

Urgency comes from understanding that you can’t afford to waste time on things that don’t matter.

And sometimes it’s about choosing the great projects that will have a direct effect on you achieving your future goals, over the good projects that are there because of maybe a loyal client you’ve worked with forever or because of the nice paycheck you get from them.

When you work with purpose and intensity, you’ll make progress faster than you ever thought possible.

The people you look up to didn’t get there by coasting—they worked with focus and discipline, cutting out distractions and making the most of every minute.

3. Focus on the long game over the short game.

While urgency is key, it’s just as important to focus on the long game.

Success doesn’t happen overnight, and it’s easy to get caught up in chasing short-term wins.

And don’t get me wrong, small wins are great.

But the creators you admire reached their level by thinking beyond immediate gratification.

They made decisions that would benefit them in the long run, even if it meant delaying rewards in the short term.

So commit to the process, be patient with your growth, but relentless in your actions.

Every small step you take is a building block for your long-term success.

Don’t compare your journey to someone else’s highlight reel—focus on steady improvement and building something truly fulfilling AND sustainable.

The fact is, you’re really not that far away from the people you look up to.

Those who see tremendous growth don’t ask themselves, “Why am I not as good as they are?”

They ask, “HOW can I be as good as they are?”

This simple mindset shift is a “cheat code” to leveling up faster.

You’re closer than you realize.

Keep on keeping on.

You got this 👊🏼

-Landon