“If you’re waiting for the world to be fair, you better have lives to spare.”
— Unknown
Comparing your progress to others is one of the quickest ways to sabotage your own sense of purpose and fulfillment. In a world where social media and societal expectations constantly remind us of how much more someone else has accomplished, it’s easy to feel like we’re falling behind. But here’s the truth: there will always be someone ahead of you—and someone behind you. That’s not a flaw in the system; it’s the nature of life.
We often measure ourselves against others without accounting for the invisible starting lines. Some people had a head start—maybe their parents paid for their education, or they received financial help to buy their first home. Others were exposed to opportunities early on, like learning to code as a child or being mentored by someone influential. These advantages compound over time, making it misleading and even harmful to compare your journey directly to someone else’s.
Life is not a sprint—it’s a marathon. And like any long-distance race, everyone starts at different times, from different points, with different gear. Imagine joining a marathon two days after it began. Would it make any sense to judge your performance against those who’ve been running all along? Of course not. Yet that’s exactly what we do when we compare our lives to others without context.
Instead of focusing on where others are, focus on where you’re going. The only metric that truly matters is your own progress toward your own goals. Are you moving forward? Are you learning, growing, and becoming closer to the version of yourself you aspire to be? That’s what counts.
Fairness is a comforting idea, but it’s not a guarantee. Life doesn’t operate on a merit-based system. It’s a mix of circumstances, choices, and chance. You might be born into privilege and still struggle. You might grow up disadvantaged and still thrive. The game of life isn’t fair—and expecting it to be is not only unrealistic, but also disempowering.
The sooner you accept that fairness is not a prerequisite for success, the freer you become to forge your own path. Stop waiting for the playing field to level itself. Instead, use what you have, start where you are, and run your own race.
Because in the end, the only race that matters is the one you’re running—on your time, at your pace, toward your own finish line.