Is Your Instagram Obsession F*cking With Your Business?

Social Comparisons Are The Thieves Of Joy...and Profit!

Your competitors’ Instagram highlight reels will preen all their curated glories, while hiding the real dangers that threaten their businesses. Beware!

As social animals, we likely compare our standing amongst our perceived peers out of survival. We want to know what others in our life stage are doing — and we want to gauge where we stand in comparison to our tribe. Enter Instagram…or really any social media platform.

Instagram lets you be a fly on the wall to friends’ and strangers’ personal lives and businesses. Instead of just hearing about a rival talk themselves up, your rival now can show off “social proof” of their largesse. Celebrity selfies, immense luxury, and others' perfect professional lives are just a click away — along with a dollop of anxiety and insecurity as you wonder if life's finest opportunities have already passed you by.

All That Glitters Isn’t Gold

By now, everyone with half a brain realizes that content feeds are curated to show only the highlights of someone’s personal or business life. Still, “seeing is believing” is a popular adage for a reason, so even carefully edited and obviously crafted personal or professional highlights, leave an impression. An impression you need all your logic to rail against! You need all your wits to rail against the scientific hacks designed by programmers to capture your attention via voyeurism, insecurity, and the innate drive of social comparison.

3 Reality Checks on…How Highlight Reels, Social Comparison, and Lack of Context Can Destroy The Self-Perception of Your Business!

1. Distorted Reality

Problem —The Illusion of Perfection

Social media is a highlight reel, not a documentary. Businesses showcase their best moments—record sales, glowing testimonials, and lavish events. What you often don’t see are the sleepless nights, the countless failures, and the struggles behind the scenes.

The Damage — Highlight Reels Mess With Your Perception

This curated perfection distorts your perception of success. When you compare your day-to-day grind to someone else’s polished posts, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Reality Check —You Don’t See Your Rival’s Struggle

You are intimately aware of your own business’s shortcomings, but you can only understand the struggles of other entrepreneurs if they share them honestly. Sadly, Instagram is more about preening than a perfect portrayal of reality!

That record sales month from your rival could have jeopardized their marriage.

Glowing testimonials are often bought or bartered.

The lavish launch event you could never afford to throw, put your competitor on the brink of bankruptcy.

Constant comparing can lead to unwarranted feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt, making you question your abilities and the viability of your own business.

If you mimic your rival’s product or service, typically customers will choose the original, save for major pricing discounts or availability issues.

2. Paralysis by Analysis

Problem —The Comparison Trap

Constantly scrolling through others’ successes can plunge you into a state of analysis paralysis. You might find yourself obsessively analyzing what competitors are doing right, trying to replicate their strategies instead of focusing on your unique strengths.

The Damage —You Become A Cheap Facsimile of Your Rival

This fixation distracts you from your original vision and goals. Instead of innovating and pushing your business forward, you become stuck in a cycle of imitation. This not only stifles your creativity but also delays decision-making, leading to missed opportunities and stagnation.

Reality Check —You Ignore Your Competitive Strengths

It’s good to analyze why an industry competitor is thriving, so you can apply certain successful aspects that are relevant to your business. That said, you can’t copy an entire rival’s business model, not just because it’s unethical, but also because your business would be nothing but an imitation.

Your strengths and motivations for your business are unique to your skill set, education, and experiences. That can’t be replicated by anybody...not your partner, BFF, or even your twin. The totality of your life experience is your distinct “brand” voice and your competitive advantage that you neuter if you totally ape your competitors.

You don’t know the inherent or situational advantages your competitors enjoyed — that you may not possess — which contributed to their success. You can only control improving yourself and your business through daily, incremental commitment of consistent positive action.

3. Mental Health Toll

Problem —The Weight of Expectations

Engaging in social media comparisons can take a significant toll on your mental health. The pressure to keep up with others can foster anxiety, stress, and even depression. You might feel like you’re constantly racing against an invisible clock, trying to measure up to unrealistic standards.

The Damage —You Lack Context of a Rival’s Success

This relentless pursuit of external validation can lead to burnout. When your self-worth hinges on likes, comments, and comparisons, you risk losing sight of what truly matters—your passion for your business and your well-being. Over time, this can create a toxic cycle where your mental health deteriorates, ultimately affecting your performance and productivity.

Reality Check —You Are Only Racing Against Yesterday’s You

I want to be homeowner like most Americans. Many of my friends have achieved that goal, some of them at least 10 years ago, while I am NOWHERE NEAR buying home. So why doesn’t this bother me?

Upon pulling back the curtain, many of my friends’ path to homeownership was not due to their innate excellence, but through external factors that they benefited from — through no breathtaking effort of their own. Some were born on 3rd base and inherited property. Others, had parents assist with the initial down payment. One, married into wealth — and the home he co-owns.

Even if I learned of a friend who grew up with less than me and had no familial help in buying a home, “beat me to the punch” in buying his or her dream home, it still wouldn’t cause me to spiral. This friend could likely have a special skill or lack a vice that I have, so his or her success is still irrelevant to me. Opportunity and luck are mistresses of fate that no mortal controls, nor can take credit for. I am only in competition with yesterday’s me…to be 1% better. That’s it. From there, I let compound mathematics, kaizen, and faith in God lead me.

Conclusion — Limit Instagram Scrolling

Comparing your business successes to others on social media is a slippery slope that can have devastating effects.

From distorting your reality to paralyzing your decision-making and harming your mental health, the risks far outweigh any perceived benefits. Instead of fixating on others, focus on your journey, embrace your unique path, and remember that real success is about progress, not perfection.

Step away from the comparison game and reclaim your passion for building something truly your own. Go outside, but get off your phone, and touch grass!

There’s a big, beautiful world outside of your social media bubble. Explore it! Your health and business may depend on it.