Pick Your Classroom

First, can I just say, we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others. Compare and despair. The only person you should compare yourself to is you yesterday. There are probably fifty more clichés that are completely true. But, on the other hand, there are times when comparison can be helpful, like when it’s used for motivating and spurring on growth, not building up egos or looking down on others. That said, here we go.

I heard an adage a few years ago that says, “If you’re the smartest kid in the classroom, you should find another classroom.” For me, this means if I surround myself with people who are just like me, on my level, then I don’t see much growth in myself. Yet, when I am in the presence of others who are better than me, I get better. As I started trying to do this, trying to push myself, I realized something interesting. I’d never really been active at picking my classroom. It’s always been a pretty passive affair.

Let’s look at one example. Growing up, I wanted to be the most athletic person in my class. I went head to head with thirty other third graders to show them that my athleticism dominated theirs in our daily tackle football game. For those glorious 30 minutes on that dusty playground, we thought we were the toughest, roughest, dudes in the world. It was by those guys that I measured my talent level. If a friend broke out a cool new juke move, I’d adapt it and make it part of my game. 

But I didn’t pick that classroom. I didn’t pick the guys I was competing against or comparing myself too. As a third grader, I didn’t make an active decision to measure myself by my friends. I was passively measuring myself by my peers. I didn’t think about comparing my moves to Bo Jackson to get better. Or how I could learn the mechanics of throwing from looking at Joe Montana. I just considered my skills in light of those other kids, and was pretty satisfied. I didn’t pick my classroom.

As adults, the stakes are higher, but the same principles apply. Very rarely are we intentional about who we compare ourselves too. Instead, we measure our progress by proximity. The number of CDs sold by the artist we opened for, or how much tighter our band is than the other bands playing the same venues. The problem is, if you measure yourself against your peers, then expect small results from yourself. Not that your peers suck or anything. But, if you shoot for their level, the best you’ll ever be, is well, them. And maybe that’s OK with you, but it’s something you should be aware of. You’ve picked your classroom. 

So if we’re going to compare ourselves, let’s do it with those who are smarter and better at whatever we are striving to do. Let’s shoot for something above status quo. I’ve seen it time and time again—an artist will have momentum for a project, tons of press, and then they take their foot off the gas because the release was successful enough. If they would have pushed a little bit more, who knows what would have happened. 

I want you guys to be really freaking successful by the standard you choose. Not by one that you passively adapt. If we compare ourselves to others, let’s use it as a tool for betterment. Pick your classroom.