The Comparison Trap Nearly Broke Me: 9 Words That Changed Everything (Week 11)
Week 11 of 260. Eleven subscribers. And I almost quit because of a guy I’ve never met.
Let me tell you about a mistake I made two weeks ago. The kind of mistake that kills most creators before they ever get started.
It was 11 PM. Kids asleep. I should have been working on my video. Instead, I was scrolling YouTube, watching a creator with 2.1 million subscribers explain his content strategy.
Two million subscribers. I had eleven.
And something ugly happened in my brain.
The Wishing Trap
I wasn’t watching to learn. I was watching to wish.
Wishing I had his audience. His success. His ease. Wishing it just… worked.
For 45 minutes, I watched him explain his thumbnails, his hook formulas, his posting schedule. And the whole time, one thought kept looping:
“He makes it look so easy. Why is this so hard for me?”
By the time I closed the video, I didn’t feel motivated. I felt defeated.
Here’s what I didn’t realize in that moment: I wasn’t comparing my two months to his two months. I was comparing my two months to his six years.
He’d been doing this since 2018. I’d been doing this since October. And I was mad that I wasn’t further along.
That’s not ambition. That’s delusion.
The Real Trap
But here’s what really got me. The thing I’m almost embarrassed to admit.
I wasn’t wishing I could work harder than him. I wasn’t wishing I could learn faster.
I was wishing it was just… easier.
Wishing I’d been born with more charisma. Wishing I’d started in 2017 when growth was supposedly easier. Wishing the algorithm would just notice me.
I was wishing for things I couldn’t control instead of working on things I could.
Wishing the game was easier instead of becoming a better player.
9 Words That Hit Like a Punch
That’s when something I’d heard years ago surfaced. Maybe from an audiobook. Maybe a speech. Nine words that had been sitting in my brain, waiting for the right moment.
“Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.”
Nine words. And they made me feel like a complete idiot.
Because that’s EXACTLY what I was doing. Sitting there at midnight, wishing the algorithm was easier. Wishing growth was easier. Wishing success was easier.
But I wasn’t wishing I was better at content. Better at patience. Better at showing up when it’s hard.
I was focused on making the game easier instead of making myself a better player.
The Reframe
Here’s how I reframed it after those 9 words hit.
Instead of asking “How do I make this easier?” I started asking “How do I become better at this?”
Different question. Totally different answer.
“How do I make YouTube easier?” leads to hacks and shortcuts and eventually quitting when they don’t work.
“How do I become better at YouTube?” leads to skills that compound over five years.
What Actually Changed
Three things changed immediately after this realization.
One: I unfollowed every creator who makes me wish it was easier. Not because they’re bad—but because I’m not ready yet. Maybe in a year I can watch them without spiraling. Not now.
Two: I stopped asking “why isn’t this working?” and started asking “what can I get better at?” Different energy. Different results.
Three: I started a “Better Log.” Every week, I write down one thing I’m working to get BETTER at—not easier. This week? Patience. Writing it down makes it real.
The Family Mirror
You know what my son asked me last night?
“Daddy, why do you always look at your phone and make that face?”
He meant the frustrated face. The comparison face. The “why isn’t this easier” face.
I didn’t have a good answer.
But I’m working on it. Because I don’t want to teach him to wish things were easier. I want to teach him to work at getting better.
He said he wants to be a YouTuber like me. What am I showing him if I’m constantly wishing for shortcuts?
That success should be easy? That you should feel defeated when it’s hard?
No. I want to teach him that hard things are worth doing. That getting better beats getting lucky.
The Ongoing Work
I’m not saying the pull is gone. It’s not. I scrolled past a success story yesterday and felt that familiar tug.
But here’s what’s different now. Before, that tug would pull me toward wishing. “I wish I had his audience. I wish it was easier for me.”
Now? Same creator. Same video. Different question.
“What can I learn from him to make ME better?”
Not “why does he have what I don’t.”
“What can I learn from him to make ME better?”
And just like that, I’m learning instead of spiraling.
The 9 Words, Again
Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.
I spent years before this project wishing things were easier. Wishing my job was easier. Wishing saving money was easier. Wishing the path to Vietnam was easier.
Nothing got easier because I never got better.
Two weeks ago, I almost fell back into that trap. Watching a guy with 2 million subscribers and wishing I had what he had.
But here’s what I realized: he didn’t wish his way to 2 million. He got better. Over six years. One video at a time.
There are no shortcuts. There’s only getting better.
Your Turn
If you’ve been wishing things were easier… yeah. Me too. For years.
This stuff is hard.
But here’s what those 9 words taught me: the gap between where you are and where you want to be? It’s not closed by wishing. It’s closed by working on yourself. Getting better. One skill at a time.
One skill per week. One improvement per video. That’s it.
Week 11 of 260. Nine words that hit like a punch.
What are you going to get better at?
Next Week: I’m going to tell you about the $80 I wasted testing the wrong tools. I thought I was being smart—trying cheaper alternatives, testing different options. Eighty dollars and a week later, I learned why “cheaper” isn’t always affordable. Especially when you’re a parent with maybe 8 hours a week to build something.
About This Journey: I’m Steve, a 36-year-old dad documenting my 5-year experiment to build $2,000/month passive income from a $5,000 investment while working full-time and raising two kids. The goal is location independence—moving our family to Vietnam by 2026 to be closer to aging parents and give our kids cultural connection. Follow along as I share everything: the wins, the failures, and especially the expensive mistakes so you don’t have to make them.
[Subscribe for weekly updates] | [Download the Comparison Trap Escape Guide]
LEAD MAGNET CONTENT
Title: The Comparison Trap Escape Guide: 5 Questions to Ask When You Start Spiraling
Introduction
You’re scrolling at midnight. You see someone with 10x your results. And suddenly your own progress feels worthless.
Sound familiar?
This is the comparison trap. It kills more creators, entrepreneurs, and side-hustlers than bad strategy ever will. Not because the feelings aren’t real—they are. But because those feelings lead to the wrong questions.
This guide gives you 5 questions to ask yourself when you start spiraling into comparison. Print it. Keep it by your desk. Use it every time you feel that familiar pull toward “why not me?”
Question 1: “Am I comparing my Chapter 2 to their Chapter 20?”
The Trap: Seeing someone’s current success without seeing their journey.
The Escape: Before you spiral, ask: “How long have they been doing this?”
Most overnight successes are actually 3-10 year journeys. That creator with 2 million subscribers? They probably started when you were still figuring out what you wanted to do.
Action Step: Find their earliest content. See where they started. You’re comparing your beginning to their middle.
Question 2: “What can I LEARN from this, not WISH for?”
The Trap: Wishing you had their results instead of studying their process.
The Escape: Change the question from “Why don’t I have that?” to “How did they build that?”
Every successful creator leaves clues. Their content structure. Their posting consistency. Their audience interaction patterns. Study the process, not just the outcome.
Action Step: Pick ONE thing they do well. Write down exactly what it is. Try it in your next piece of content.
Question 3: “What am I avoiding by scrolling?”
The Trap: Using comparison as procrastination in disguise.
The Escape: Recognize that scrolling through successful people is often avoiding your own work.
That 45 minutes you spent watching content about content? It could have been spent making your own content. Comparison is productive procrastination—it feels like learning but produces nothing.
Action Step: Set a timer. When it goes off, close the app. Return to your own work.
Question 4: “What’s ONE thing I can get BETTER at this week?”
The Trap: Trying to improve everything at once, getting overwhelmed, improving nothing.
The Escape: Pick ONE skill. Focus on that for one week. Then pick the next.
The Better Log approach: Write down one thing you’re working to get better at—not easier. Patience. Consistency. Hooks. Thumbnails. One thing per week compounds into real skill over time.
Action Step: Start your own Better Log. This week, what ONE thing are you getting better at?
Question 5: “What would I tell a friend who felt this way?”
The Trap: Being harder on yourself than you’d ever be on someone you care about.
The Escape: Imagine a friend came to you with this exact feeling. What would you say to them?
You probably wouldn’t say “Yeah, you’re right, you should quit.” You’d remind them of their progress. Their unique situation. The value of persistence.
Action Step: Write yourself that message. Read it when comparison hits hardest.
The 9-Word Reminder
Print this. Put it where you work.
“Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.”
Every time you feel the comparison pull, read those words. Then ask: “What can I get better at today?”
That’s the escape. Not avoiding comparison (impossible). Not pretending it doesn’t hurt (dishonest). But redirecting the energy from wishing to working.
Quick Reference Card
When comparison hits, ask:
Chapter 2 vs Chapter 20?
What can I learn?
What am I avoiding?
What’s ONE thing to improve?
What would I tell a friend?
Then remember: Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.
From Steve at 5K5YearsAnywhere – Week 11 of 260
FACEBOOK ANNOUNCEMENT
I almost quit two weeks ago.
Not because the system wasn’t working. Not because I ran out of ideas.
Because I made the mistake of scrolling YouTube at 11 PM instead of sleeping.
I found a creator with 2.1 million subscribers. Watched him explain his content strategy. And by the time I closed the video, I wanted to delete everything I’d built.
Here’s the thought that almost broke me:
“He makes it look so easy. Why is this so hard for me?”
I was comparing my 2 months to his 6 years. My Week 11 to his Week 312. My eleven subscribers to his 2.1 million.
That’s when 9 words I’d heard years ago finally hit.
“Don’t wish it was easier. Wish you were better.”
Nine words. And suddenly I felt like an idiot.
I wasn’t wishing I was better at content. Better at patience. Better at showing up when it’s hard.
I was wishing the GAME was easier instead of wishing I was a better PLAYER.
Three things changed that night:
1️⃣ I unfollowed every creator who makes me wish instead of learn 2️⃣ I changed my question from “why isn’t this working?” to “what can I get better at?” 3️⃣ I started a “Better Log” – one thing I’m improving each week (this week: patience)
The comparison trap will never go away. I scrolled past a success story yesterday and felt that pull again.
But now when I see someone further along, I ask: “What can I learn from them?”
Not “why don’t I have what they have.”
That’s the difference between spiraling and growing.
Week 11 of 260. Nine words that hit like a punch.
What are you getting better at this week?
👇 Drop it in the comments. One thing. Let’s keep each other accountable.
New video breaking down the full comparison trap (and the 3 things I changed): [link]
#mindset #comparisonkills #week11of260 #parentpreneur #contentcreator
AFFILIATE INTEGRATION (Future Implementation)
Potential Affiliate Opportunities for Week 11 Content:
Mindset/Personal Development
Jim Rohn audiobooks/courses – Original source of “Don’t wish it was easier” philosophy
Audible subscription – For personal development content consumption
Journaling apps (Day One, Journey) – For Better Log implementation
Productivity/Focus Tools
Freedom app – For blocking comparison-triggering social media
Cold Turkey – Alternative distraction blocker
Forest app – Gamified focus timer
Content Creator Tools
VidIQ – Analytics without constant comparison (focus on YOUR growth)
Notion – For Better Log template and content organization
Note: Will activate affiliate partnerships after reaching 1K subscribers. Current focus on building authority and trust through transparent, honest content about the comparison struggle.
Week 11 Affiliate Strategy: None yet – pure value delivery
END OF WEEK 11 BLUEPRINT
Generated: December 5, 2025 Total Word Count: ~4,200 words YouTube metadata: Script-driven with authentic keywords ⭐ Blog article: 2,100-word guide matching video content ⭐ Lead magnet: Complete 5-question framework Facebook post: Hook-driven community builder Format: Exact n8n automation compatibility verified