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Welcome to Issue 93 of Clearly YOU. Every second Wednesday, I serve up ideas that help you share the clearest, realest, most unforgettable version of yourself with the world. Not a subscriber? Take 30 seconds and hop on board:https://kimscaravelli.com/newsletter/​

There’s a special kind of joy that shows up the moment you start running your own race instead of measuring yourself against everyone else.

Comparison is a trap because you’re almost always stacking your results against someone who’s running under different conditions.

For example, an entrepreneur juggling single parenthood while launching their first business is running a very different race than someone with no kids, no debt, and a long history of success who decides to launch something similar. That’s not an apples-to-apples comparison.

I used to fall into the comparison spiral all the time and it never led anywhere worth being. Often, the final destination was my sofa, with a bottle of wine, a box of donuts, and a wicked case of impostor syndrome.

My message for you today: run your race. Set your pace. And swap comparison for honest self-reflection.

Every few months, ask yourself questions like:

• What am I getting better at doing?
• How have I improved?
• What successes have I had since the last time I checked in with myself?
• What have I enjoyed most about my work lately?

And remember: progress is personal.

Cool Quote

“The only person I’m competing with is yesterday me. And frankly, she was exhausted.”

Mindy Kaling, actress, writer, producer, and director

Win Your Race With Micro Steps

Want a real life example of running your own race? I've got a good one. It's the story of how I finally wrote a book...

I thought about this forever. A few times I even got inspired enough to try.

But books are so BIG. So deep. So complicated. Arghhhh.

My inner voice berated me for not having the time or discipline of all those other people who wrote books. I compared myself to Ann Handley and Gill Andrews, and all the other brilliant 5-Star folks who had already done this. And instead of becoming inspired, I wilted.

I finally wrote a book by focusing 100% on ME. Just me and what I wanted to share with the world.

I made an outline. Then I broke it into sections. I broke each section into chapters. And I split the meatier chapters into multiple chapters. I don't know if this is how real writers do it. But it's how I did it. It's what worked for ME.

Each day (for 76 days) I wrote a single 1-5 page chapter on a very specific - and already chosen - topic. I ran my own race.

Your assignment is simple: Pick something you want to do. Something BIG and bold and beautiful.

I bet there are already a few fine folks who have accomplished this big, bold, beautiful thing - or something similar. And that's okay. Because they are THEM and you are YOU.

Make your outline. Break it into steps. And if there are a few steps that look intimidating, crush them into smaller micro-steps. When you've got a do-able plan that fits your life - start doing it.

You've got this. I promise!

Stuff Worth Sharing

Ann Handley's recently updated classic, Everybody Writes, is a delight.

Gill Andrew's Making Your Website Work is also a must-have, in my opinion.

📖 And hey… if you’re poking around on Amazon anyway, you can take a peek at Making Words Work. I'm rather proud of it.

For the Word Nerds

Those who study the risks of constant comparison have come up with a couple of concepts worth knowing:

Comparison drift​
That moment when you quietly slide into measuring your progress against someone else’s timeline, achievements, or circumstances. It happens fast and usually without you noticing, which is why it can pull you off your own path before you realize it.

Benchmark blindness​
When you know every detail about someone else’s accomplishments but can’t name your own wins. It’s what happens when all your attention goes outwards instead of inward.

Guard against both by checking in with yourself regularly. Notice what’s getting better. Notice what feels good. Notice what’s improving.

And when you feel these things happening, pause, reset, and return to your race. The view is always clearer when you’re looking forward instead of sideways.

What Did You Nudge Forward Recently?​ Nothing heroic required. Just hit reply and tell me one tiny win you pulled off. Big, small, or beautifully imperfect… I’ll cheer you on like a woman who knows the value of a good micro-step and a strong cup of coffee. 🥳☕️🩷

Enjoying Clearly YOU?​ Share it with a friend who craves a little more clarity (and a little less noise). ​ 👋 And thanks for reading. If something in this issue felt like I was talking to you, tell me. Connecting is the whole point for me.