When I was a kid, I used to love to draw. I would spend hours after school in first and second grade drawing. I’d position my Ninja Turtles just right and draw the perfect fight scene. At one point I tried to create my own comic book, too.

I loved to draw. I thought I was the best artist in my class. But when third grade came around, this was no longer the case. There was another kid who could draw like he was born with a pencil in his hand. He must have been a child prodigy, I thought. Perhaps his works would be remembered for ages to come.

So I stopped drawing. The way I saw it there was nothing I could do to be as good as that other kid, so I dropped my pencil and walked away from it.

I realize now what was going through my mind at the time is something that we all go through: Measuring our value based on another’s performance.

What if instead of worrying about who was the best artist in my class, I kept on enjoying what I was doing? Surely my skills would have developed in their own unique way. I would have kept making awesome sketches. It would have been a win-win situation.

I’ve come to the realization that when you focus on being better than another, you’re letting outside forces control you. Their performance determines your drive. Others level of approval determines whether you keep going or quit.

On the other hand, when you focus on being YOUR best, you’re in the driver’s seat. You call the shots. And you can steer your life in the direction you choose, tailored to your unique abilities.

Nobody knows what you’re capable of like you do. Instead of chasing after the external reward, aim for internal satisfaction.

Now where did I put my pencil…