Stay in Lane – How To Focus On Your Goals and Ignore Other’s Success

Do you ever get distracted by other people’s success? Do you get consumed with jealousy? Do you sub-consciously (maybe even consciously) try to emulate other people’s work to reach that success? Do you lose track of your goals? Do you take on too much work? Do you get overwhelmed? Do you feel like a failure compared to others? Are you too hard on yourself? Do you get so inspired by others that you adopt their style or work only to realise it’s not in keeping with what you set out to do?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the questions above, you are in fine company my friend. Myself and many others feel exactly the same. Forget imposter syndrome, this is more about getting over-inspired and bogged down by other people’s lives.

In a world where we are more connected than ever, constantly sharing our ‘best bits’ minute by minute on social media, it is no surprise that we can feel pulled in so many directions. We start off with one goal, and before you know it you have a to-do list that will never be completed and so many goals that nothing is getting achieved.

For example, I work in a creative, digital world where I’m essentially told that the world is my oyster. We have more tools at our fingertips than ever, the previous barriers to entry in media and entertainment are being eroded, and many of my peers are kicking butt.

There are published books, magazine covers, podcast shows, television appearances, Youtube channels, Instagram communities, product lines, e-courses, workshops, tours, and so so much more. Do you want to be a creator? Great. But when you get classed as an ‘influencer’ (ugh, I cannot stand that word) you begin to ride a wave of possibility. It’s exciting. There’s a world of potential success ahead of you. You could be the next Zoella!

Except, you can’t. And you won’t.

Because you’re not Zoella. And nor should you be. You need to do you. And do you well.

When there are so many possibilities and potential goals it is easy to get overwhelmed. And when you take on too much you can often spend your whole life juggling and never actually creating the work you want or need to.

Our minds get so oversaturated with other’s work, lives, creativity and successes that we can lose track of what it is we actually want to be doing. It’s distracting. So my mantra for this year is ‘Stay in lane.’

Stay in lane.

You need to remember what your own goals are, focus on them, and keep moving towards them without being distracted by others in their own lanes. Remember, that there is no such thing as an overnight success, each person is growing at their own pace and walking their own path. What is right for them isn’t necessarily what you want or need. So we need to stay in our lane, keep our heads down and focus on where we are going.

We are amazing, creative, brilliant people doing great things. But different, great things. And that is ok.

When we focus on our own goals and values, we realise that we can have all that we actually want. But when start adopting other people’s goals and successes as something we want to aim for, we lose track and slow down.

With real internal work, you can establish what your values are, what it is you stand for and what goals are really specific to you. Only then you can you make true progress and stay in lane.


Further reading:

How Imposter Syndrome Ruined My Twenties

The Art of Letting Go (and How It Makes You Happy)

  1. I loved reading this and it has so inspired me to just stick to my goals. I think with everyone constantly bragging about amazing emails that have landed in their inbox etc etc, you can’t help but feel like when is it going to be your turn!

    One step at a time and I think you are right, when you focus on yourself, good things can and will come your way x

    1. Exactly. And you never really know what is going on in somebody else’s life, what it took to get them to that point, and where they are going to next. We can’t compare our journey’s as each is unique.

  2. The answer to all your questions is yes… hahaha. Fortunatelly I’m really focussed at the moment and don’t allow other’s people success to distract me, I only use them as a source of inspiration. Although, I’ve felt that way for a long time before achieving this state of mind, so it’s nice to have a reminder every now and then.

    Hasta pronto,

  3. A truly refreshing post and timely reminder to stay focused and true to ourselves, in a world where we’re bombarded with images and information about other people’s lives. I’ve just started blogging and I’m currently writing a post about goal-setting and how to stay on track (as it’s about healthy eating it’ll mainly be about how NOT to eat the entire jar of chocolate spread in the cupboard, in one sitting!)
