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Be better than who YOU were yesterday

Don't preoccupy yourself trying to be more successful than your friends, neighbors, or coworkers.

Instead, focus on improving yourself.

Concentrate on being better than you were a day, a week, even a year ago -- whether that means getting in better shape, becoming more productive, having more money in the bank, or just becoming a better person all around.

Comparing ourselves to other people can only lead us down a path of jealousy, resentment, and frayed relationships. We must all concede that there will always be someone more popular, attractive or successful than us. But that doesn't mean we have to begrudge them their fortune.

And it doesn't mean we have to emulate them either.

Their lives are theirs alone. You have your own life in which to achieve the goals that you've chosen to pursue. Those goals won't always align with others', and that's okay.

Not all of us want to be rich doctors, parents to four children, or globetrotters. Some of us think the ideal life is a simpler one. Not everyone values big parties and expensive clothing.

The bottom line is this: Your personal growth should be independent of what your peers are doing. Focusing on ways to better yourself-- rather than ways to best people around you -- will lead to much better results. You'd be surprised at what you can achieve when you work hard and believe in yourself.

Let others live their lives as they please. You have your own life to worry about. Compete with and challenge yourself, not others.

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