The Comparison Trap

This is what I say aloud to myself when I compare my writing to someone else’s.
Yep, I interrupt gross thoughts with a good ol’ “Is this really what you believe to be true?”

Because, for me, the best first step to writing over old thought patterns is to say them aloud; we tend to know the truth when we hear it, and that statement in the image?

Definitely not true.

See, The Comparison Trap is similar to the “But I need all the right and fancy tools!” trap in that it keeps you focused on the wrong things--literally everything except writing.

Here’s the thing: liking, admiring, and respecting someone else’s writing doesn’t mean anything about your own abilities and what you’re meant to write.

Someone else’s abilities aren’t an affront to you.

In fact, they’re an invitation!

Every time someone shares their writing in Casual Magic, inevitably there’s a chorus of “THAT IS INCREDIBLE!” and “HOW CAN I FOLLOW THAT?!”

The internal monologues start chirping things like:

🗣 “I could never write something like that. Guess I should stop trying.”

🗣 “This seems so easy for them. Since it’s difficult for me, that must mean I am bad at it & should stop trying.”

And those are super common responses that are *aggressively false*.

In these moments, you’ve got a choice to make. You can:

• Obsess over what this person has written. Jump on the scrollercoaster and devour everything they’ve ever written. Eat an entire block of Velveeta cheese, buy two new journals and six books on How to Be A Writer and Be Amazing At It Instantly.

Or:

• Give this person a round of applause, tell them what you loved about what they wrote & that they’ve inspired you, and then go write two or three fun words about yourself in the journal you already own.

Someone sharing more of themselves is an invitation for you to do the same.

And the thing that I know to be very true is that it’s easier to try & express yourself in writing when you’re surrounded by people who are also trying.

Maybe you’re ready to try, and that’s what I’m here for--to create space for you to make something only you can make, surrounded by people who are making things only they can make.

And that—That’s Casual Magic.

Casual Magic Writing
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