Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Creatives & Increase Your Confidence

1. Introduction & How This Class Can Help You: Has this ever happened to you? You're feeling inspired and watching the magic of your creations come to life between your hands. You log into your social media account, excited to share what you've created with the world, only to have the self-belief knocked out of you after seeing what other creatives in your niche or up to your mind is flooded with negative thoughts like, I'll never be as good as them. So why even bother? If this has happened to you, I can promise you you are not alone. And also, it doesn't matter when comparisons strikes. It crushes two things, your creativity and your self-belief. What if I told you, you could stop comparing yourself to other creatives for good in under a couple of hours. Have could you better use your time to grow your own creative passion, skills and projects and potential. If you weren't distracted and doubting your abilities and potential. Hi, I'm Luis and I'm a certified mindset and success coach for creatives that specializes in subconscious mind modalities like Emotional Freedom Techniques, hypnosis, and neuro linguistic programming. Through my online courses and one-to-one coaching, I've helped countless passion driven creatives like you to diminish your inner critic and cultivate authentic confidence in your capabilities. Over the last 15 years, I've had many creative careers, including being a fashion and textile lecturer, running textile tours with local artists and around the world and creating freelance craft projects from magazines like Molly makes and foreign key. In today's class on how to stop comparing yourself to other creatives. I'll be sharing a variety of simple yet profoundly insightful journaling exercises designed to help you approve the cause of your comparative behavior and realign with your creative choline and vision, meaning you'll be far less distracted and affected by what other creatives are doing. Feel more confident about who you are becoming and where you're going on your own creative path. You're really benefit from taking this class. If after seeing another person's work in your industry or niche, you start questioning whether you're good enough and you begin to feel a little bit jealous, which in my experience as a creative and the coach is about 90% of us. If you're ready to crush comparison for good, I'll be eagerly awaiting you in the next video. 2. Your Class Project & Workbook: The project for this class is to complete the accompanying workbook whilst watching the video is at the same time. Then to upload a screenshot or refer to graph of the worksheet that you found the most impactful into the Projects tab. Every exercise in this workbook has been designed to help you stop comparing yourself to other creatives by empowering you to learn more about yourself and your own creative calling and vision. Head to the projects and resources tab to download your workbook. Now, every worksheet pairs with the lesson and is interactive, meaning that you can complete it digitally online by clicking on one of the textboxes, or you can print it and complete it by hand. Alternatively, if you want, you can also follow along just using a pen and paper. Now, while it might be tempting for you to try and complete the exercises and prompts in your head, you will yield far more insights and lasting and transformative results if you get what you're thinking and feeling out of your head and in front of you for you to see. Comparison is a deeply rooted subconscious mind protection mechanism. It's designed to keep you safe and small and inside your comfort zone by causing you to doubt yourself. Now, the subconscious mind is responsible for 95% of your behavior, meaning that it's possible that you might even be feeling some unexplainable in a resistance to doing the activities in this class before you've even got started. Don't fall for it. That is a sign that your subconscious mind protection mechanisms have already been activated. What I recommend to you is to go and download the workbook now and schedule an hour aside in your planet to complete these growth, boosting self care and mental hygiene activities. I've always found that sundays are a great day for doing these journaling prompts. But obviously, go ahead and pick the day that feels best to you. So if you are ready and raring to crush comparison for good, so you can start to make the most of your time, your energy, your creative passion, and potential. Join me in the first lesson, comparative clues. Now. 3. Comparative Clues: Comparative clues is a worksheet with four prompts that invites you to uncover the root of your compulsion to compare yourself to other creatives. Grab your workbook and let's begin. Prompt one, right here you compare yourself to and acknowledge the thoughts and feelings that show up for you when you see their work. Now, you might automatically already have somebody from your industry in mind, someone that you know that does it trigger feelings of comparison in you? If that's the case, go ahead and jump straight into this activity. But if that's not you and no specific person is coming to mind, I recommend that you jump on the social media platform of your choice. Or perhaps another place where you know, you are keeping tabs on people. Once you've identified a few people to A3 will do right Then names in the first column along with what you're thinking and feeling in your body when you see their work, remember what you resist, persists. Meaning that if you're not totally truthful and 100% honest with yourself about how you feeling, it will continue to hold you back. So be honest with yourself, use this activity as an opportunity to perform some mental hygiene by getting how you feel, warts and all out and onto the paper. Feel free to pause this video now to complete prompt one, prompt to, how does it feeling this way prevent or protect you from expanding your comfort zone and doing your own thing or reaching your full potential. You see the subconscious mind isn't designed to keep you happy, is designed to keep you safe. And it does this by creating fears, deploying your inner critic, and finding folks for you to compare yourself to. You, doubt your abilities and stay safe and small in your comfort zone. When you clarify what your subconscious mind is trying to hold you back from doing, you will be able to move through the fear zone with more ease and enter into the learning and growth zones where all the magic happens. Feel free to pause this video and get your thoughts down on paper. Now, prompt three. When you pause and look more closely, what did they have or do that you want more or less of in your creative venture or life? What is it about their work that leaves you feeling inadequate or jealous? What is your comparison trying to tell you? Could it be that you want more money, more time, more freedom, more skills, more inspiration, more recognition and acknowledgment, perhaps even more followers. Do you wish that you knew how to do a certain technique that they know how to do. You wish you are as confident as them when making vlogs or reals. Do you admire their photography and desire something similar yourself? Take a few moments now to look underneath your feelings of comparison, to uncover what it's trying to tell you before we move on to the fourth and final prompt, let's recap. So far you've identified who you are comparing yourself to. You've acknowledged the truth of how you're feeling. You've gained insight into how your subconscious mind is trying to protect you and you've uncovered what your comparison is trying to teach you. Now, prompt for from three, let's now transform your comparison into inspiration by identifying what specific thrive goals you can create and pursue to help you return your focus and energy back to you and to grow and progress your own creative vision and skills. Now, this course isn't about goal setting because there are plenty of those classes here on Skillshare, which you can take a look at it. But if you are interested and curious and enjoying learning with me and want to know more, please take a look at the link in the description below this class about my book and mini-course, the progressive creative planner. Remember to jump into the discussion tab if you've got any questions, I'm more than happy to speak with you there and do my best to get back to everybody within 24 h. If you feel that this activity was insightful and you're open to sharing a screenshot or a photograph of your completed worksheet, please pop it in the projects tab to remember, you can do this activity whenever you feel that comparison and jealousy towards another creative is affecting your creativity. Thanks for watching. See you again in the next lesson. 4. Creative Anchors: What makes you, you. My creative anchors is a fun and insightful activity to help you redirect your attention away from the creatives that you've been comparing yourself to and back to where it belongs, which is yourself. Why is this activity called creative anchors? Well, just like an anchor on a boat stops it from drifting away and getting lost, your creative anchors are going to help you realign a firm and ground you with your own creative purpose. If you're ready, grab your workbook. Let's begin. Prompt one. Take five to eight words that you feel represents you and words that you want it to embody and communicate with your own creative practice. Prompt to N3. Copy your creative anchor words over to the table on the next page. Now, time to go a little bit deeper. Why did you pick this word to be your creative anchor? And what does it mean to you? Feel free to pause this video and get your thoughts down on paper. Now, prompt for how does this anchor appear or manifest in your creative practice or business? This can be in a tangible or intangible way. I sincerely hope that this activity creative anchors as provided you with some fantastic insight and helps you to feel more grounded and secure with your own creative practice. And I invite you to jump into the discussion tab with any questions you might have. And if this turned out to be the most insightful activity from this class for you, please pop a screenshot or a photo of your completed worksheet in the projects tab. My top tip, print and place this worksheet where you can see it daily and use these words to guide you back to yourself and stay on course with your unique creative journey. 5. Gratitude Riot: Gratitude is hands down one of the most powerful tools of helping you opt out of the comparison cycle when it tries to take you down. What's the comparison cycle? The comparative side coal is a four step vicious circle. And it starts with step one, you looking on your phone or your computer for inspiration out of curiosity, habit, or maybe compulsion. Step two of the comparative cycle is you feel all the emotions. You feel stressed, overwhelmed, inadequacy, anger, despair, maybe hopelessness, frustration and disappointment. Step three is you begin to question yourself, what you're doing. Should you be doing more good enough? Why even bother continue? And the fourth and final step of the comparison cycle is you stop working with intention, feeling motivated, showing up, and believing in your creative value and purpose before returning back to step one, the gratitude RIAA is a quick grounding exercise, invites you to acknowledge all of the people, things, experiences, opportunities and privileges that you already have. Instead of focusing on what other people have or what you don't have, it super easy, all you have to do is write something you're happy and grateful for next to each of the 15 prompts. I just want to reassure you that these don't have to be huge poignant things on my gratitude riot, I've got things like my studio space, my fiber-optic Wi-Fi, my dog sets. We can go up in the morning. My hands, whatever you put on your gratitude riot is called an incorrect because that's what you feel grateful for. I encourage you to complete all 15 prompts and if you can keep going until you run out of something to be grateful for practice frequently, gratitude riots and not only fun, but will help you feel more positive about your life and ease feelings of comparison naturally. Remember to jump into the discussion tab with any questions. And if this was the most insightful exercise for you, please pop a screenshot or a photo of your completed worksheet in the projects tab. 6. Final Thoughts & 10 Things To Remember: Congratulations, you've made it to the final lesson in this class. I sincerely hope that the exercises have been as insightful and as empowering for you as what they have been for me and my clients in the past. Remember, you can return to any of the exercises in this class whenever comparison threatens to derail you from your creative path. And to check out the link in your workbook to some very extra special bonuses I've created just for this class, ten things to remember when comparison tries to crush your creativity. Number one, that you are different and unique and that's your advantage. Nobody can do what you do the way that you do it. So don't forget that number to try to think of them as inspiration and not competition. If they can do it, it proves that you can do it. To. Number three, remember, you're never behind, it's your life and there's nobody else to follow. Number four, try to put it into context. Are you comparing your second year to the eighth? Number five, practice gratitude. Remember how far you have come, all you have and all you have learned. Numbers six. And please remember that success is not like a cake. Their success doesn't take away from yours. There's plenty for all. Number seven, what is your comparison trying to tell you? What do you want more or less of in life? Next time you feel comparative feelings. Always try to look under the surface. Number a, returned to yourself. You slay comparison by focusing on your own goals and being your authentic self. Number nine. And remember, you can always block them. Nobody will know just until you feel you can look at them again with more neutrality. And finally, number ten of ten things to remember when comparison tries to Chris your creativity. What you see him think about another person who's rarely based on their real life. So don't put them on a pedestal. People don't use those social media accounts and websites to share that challenges, doubts and the disasters of the creative practice Korea business life. Thanks again for watching this class. Please follow me if you'd like to receive notifications about my future mindset causes that I'll be making for creatives here on Skillshare. And if you have any questions or feedback, pop it into the discussions tab and I'll reply to you there. 7. 'Becoming More You' Hypnotic Sleep Meditation: One of the theories about why comparison happens is that at some point in your life, like most people, you learn that it wasn't truly safe to express your authentic self. Maybe you feel you've had to adapt your creative style to meet the needs of the market to make more sales. Or that you have to dress a certain way to be taken and seen more professionally. Or perhaps somebody's told you that you're a little bit too much and you need to tone your personality down to fit in. Or that is the opposite. You're a little bit too introvert and you need to be more extrovert if you ever want anyone to take your creative vision seriously. Adaptability is a great skill to have. And still it's easy for us to get caught up in the external demands of the world around us. And shrink parts of who we are in order to get by and to fit in becoming more you is a hypnotic sleep meditation that invites you to return to your true authentic self and uncover and embrace any hidden or suppressed characteristics, ambitions, or desires you might have is my recommendation that you listen to this hypnotic meditation every night for one week to really help you reduce feelings of comparison on a subconscious level and to give you a real boost of self-confidence for those of you that struggle with visualizing things on the spot in the moment like me, I've created this worksheet with some prompts on it that can help you just complete it before you listen to the meditation for the first time. Sit back and just close your eyes. In a very few moments, you're going to be more relaxed than you've ever known yourself to be. I'm going to mention certain parts of your body. And as I do, I want you to just feel that pop begin to relax. Just feel that part began to relax. In order to help you relax. I want you to imagine yourself in a wonderfully magical forest. It's almost nighttime. And this guy is a beautiful indigo blue. The stars are coming out and the moon is lighting up the rich forests, trees. Off in the distance. You hear the hypnotic sounds of a bubbling brook. You look ahead of you and C are familiar path leading to a beautiful home Nestle deep into the woods. I know you're wondering, is such a beautiful day. Let's go there now. That's right. It's a good thing to wonder. With every step you draw closer to the house, which despite looking a little worn and dusty from that, one side, pulls you in with this familiar inner wisdom and grace. It's good when entering the house is so easy. And you remember the cool sensation of the handle beneath your hand and the weight of the door. As you push it open. As you're looking around, you recognize you've been here before. In fact, as you step inside your welcomed with a warm wave of deeper relaxation, love this style, Gia, as you come to the realization, this house is you. How good it feels to be home. Being you, where you belong, isn't it? These walls could tell such stories. As you wander, wander around the house. You notice the fire is lit and calling you to sit besides it, won't you go then you discover a beautiful chest, hand engraved on the outside with all the most joyful memories from your life. So far. As you nail the beside the chest, as you gently lift the lid, you feel the weight of the box is heavy, much heavier than you expected. Inside you see a big package wrapped tightly in a dusty protective material. As your hands pull away at the first thick and heavy layer of cloth and you throw it into the fire. When you immediately notice, you not only feel a sense of relief. But that the room you're in glows just that little bit brighter than before. Removing the layers of cloth is tiring. But so rewarding. You continue unraveling the protective materials from the package and watching them burn brightly. As you sit there. Then you can feel watching the dirty fumes and it gets soaked up the chimney and released back into the wind. You probably also know that he's where it's processed and reintegrated back to positive. And a j. That's right. With each layer burn, you feel lighter, more confident, grounded, and more comfortable in your own home. With every layer cleansed by the flames, your house becomes cleaner, lighter, brighter, and renew to its original glory, back to its authentic self. Sitting in this room, you are learning so many things. By the time you reach the golden box in the center of the chest, you cannot believe the transformation. You, you can see everything more clearly now as the charming but once very dusty house you previously entered. Now gently sparkles like sunlight dancing across the ocean surface. At sunset. The golden box in the chest pops open. And inside you see a necklace encrusted with jewels, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, filled with parts of your character and spirit seldom used anymore. You realize you have more resources now, ever before, play. Courage, confidence, experimentation, optimism, self-belief, ambition, determination, and how all the feelings are there for you to feel. Your dreams, your creativity, your independence and imagination, and anything and everything else. You've ever suppressed or held back or had taken from you over the years? You lift the neck close over your head and put it on. And as you do you feel all it's positive. Filling your body from your hair follicles to your tip toes. And you notice how much you begin to enjoy. As your heartbeats, you radiate. As now, you feel completely as you once were, as you trust in the process connected to your true self. And more authentically you, since you were a child. Take a deep breath. Everybody knows being who you are is a gift. It feels great to be fully you. You're allowed to be yourself and flourish because of it. It's time to let your personality and talents shine. Will you? Expressing yourself is safe and you are so loved? Everybody knows doing what you want with your life is your birth, right? Creativity is your magic power and you are overflowing with it. Fulfilling your ambitions and dreams is inevitable. It's your destiny. Becoming more you is so powerful, isn't it? You are worthy of success. Just as you are. Being your fullest self is welcomed and celebrated. Be proud of who you are, and encourage others to be themselves to. Everybody knows you are enough. Do you know that? You know, it's already now you've got this, you know, the feeling. Take another deep breath, inhale. As you exhale and look down. You see the neck list is no longer there because it's energy has returned to your heart where it lives now, deep inside of you. And sooner or later you will understand it's more or less the right time. You can choose to embody and become more of who you already are as quickly or as slowly as you like. You turn back to put out the fire. You look around and feel such a sense of comfort and joy. Being back in. You lock the door behind you and walk back along the path through the valley of relaxation. With every step, you feel more and more grounded, more confident, and more calm. And as you turn and look at your house in the distance, you know you've come a long way, which means that you're ready to embody and become more you so easily.