Stopping the Race Against Yourself

Do you know the feeling of recognizing what you are not? Or what you are lacking?

From time to time, that happens to me too, and it’s both good and bad. Good, because I constantly strive for improvement. Bad, because it can easily contribute to a focus on lack.

If you find yourself in a moment of „not good enough“, reflect on this:

When you observe another human being and admire a specific personality trait or behavior, think about balance. Whatever that person has or shows, there is a lack of the opposite. And I don’t mean that either positively or negatively. It’s simply a fact about life itself. There is always an opposite pole to what you see. And the more pronounced the trait is, the stronger the missing opposite becomes.

There are people who navigate life with a healthy equilibrium—they have their strengths and weaknesses, but overall, things balance out nicely. Nothing is pushed to an extreme.

But then there are those who operate on the outer edges. They are absolute standouts in one specific domain—brilliant thinkers, elite creators, or top performers—yet completely lopsided, struggling or even helpless in other areas of life without support.

I just want you to be aware. Because it is so easy to see someone's strength and admire it while completely missing what they don’t have—or perhaps their strength simply appeals to you because it is unfamiliar in your own personality.

For me, it is easy to recognize individual strengths, to celebrate them, and to admire them. They can even make me happy and feel more complete, while fully knowing that I might never possess that exact same strength. It can be disappointing and fulfilling at the same time.