Comparisonitis

Don't lie and say you haven't compared yourself--favorably or unfavorably--to other writers.

Please know that doing so is a waste of time and energy.

It doesn't matter whether you're more (or less) talented. It doesn't matter if they have a book deal and you don't. It doesn't matter if their blog is funnier, more profound, has more readers, or makes more money than yours.

Don't waste precious productive time like this. Don't let the comparisonitis mindset sap you of energy and ideas. It's a cancer.

By all means you should read writers better than you, but do so in order to learn and improve, not to compare yourself and get discouraged. Don't waste time and energy on a losing pursuit.

One final thought: Every person who compares himself unfavorably to others has others who compare themselves unfavorably to him. If you spend a minute or two wrapping your mind around this deliciously rich irony, it becomes painfully clear how arbitrary, pointless and defeatist comparisonitis really is.

Honestly, we are all fortunate that we're writing. We are as fortunate as we allow ourselves to think we are.