[Intermediate] Don't Compare Yourself to Others

★ constitute …이 되는 것으로 여겨지다, …이 되다

to be considered to be something

ex) The rise in crime constitutes a threat to society.

 

★ Tune out ~ 을 듣지 않다, 무시하다 

to ignore or stop listening to someone or something

ex) learned to tune out the background noise.

 

 

★ go along with ~에 동의하다, 지지하다

to agree with or support someone or something

ex) I can't go along with strong-arm tactics like that.

 

 

★ Factor in ~을 고려하다

to include a particular thing in your calculations about how long something will take, how much it will cost etc

ex) Remember to factor in staffing costs when you are planning the project.

 

 

★ Package deal (취사 선택을 허용치 않는) 일괄 거래[교섭]

an offer or agreement which includes several things that you must buy or accept together

ex) The men were promised food and housing as part of a package deal to come and work here.

 

 

★ Hang with ~ 와 어울리다 사귀다

to spend a lot of time with someone

ex) It's not like I don't want to hang with you.

 

 

★ Demon 마음을 괴롭히는 것

something that makes you anxious and causes you problems

 

 

★ venues (콘서트·스포츠 경기·회담 등의) 장소

a place where an organized meeting, concert etc takes place

ex) The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour.

 

 

Quizzes

1. Why should we always _______ the boss's decisions?

2. You _______ those you don't like or switch channels.

3. I was just gonna _______ the guys today.

4. That does not _______ responsible government.

 

 

Questions

1. Do you think you often compare yourself to others?

2. Why does the speaker say we should stop comparing ourselves to others?

3. What can we do to stop comparing?

 

 

Script

Do you ever look at the lives of people around you and say, “Man, I wish that was me.” You know you do. Everybody does, but I bet you never compared yourself to me. Haven’t heard of me? I do have my own TV show – in the middle of the night. When I started I wanted to be as big as Jerry Seinfeld. I’m not. And yet, I’m a pretty happy guy. Here’s why. I stopped comparing myself to other people. Seriously, that’s the whole trick. Here’s what I mean. If my happiness were based on being the biggest comedian in the business, I’d be mad at whoever was getting more Netflix specials than me. (I have zero.) If it were based on having the best TV ratings, I’d be mad at Jimmy Fallon. He beats me every night. And if it were based on being rich, I’d be mad at a lot of people. And even if I were rich, really rich like number 10 on the Forbes 400 rich, I’d be mad that there were nine other people richer than me. It never ends.

 

Comparing yourself to others creates a totally unrealistic measure for what constitutes success. And I know because the entertainment business is all about unrealistic expectations. All through my career I’d meet with satisfied customers after my shows and they’d say. “Hey, you’re good – maybe someday you’ll be successful like Jerry Seinfeld.” He’s the measure of success? The top guy? When someone tells you they’re a doctor, you don’t say, “Well, maybe someday you’ll cure a disease and save millions of lives, just like Jonas Salk did for polio.” Or a lawyer: “Oh, wow, so what’s your ultimate goal, the Supreme Court?” Do you see how crazy that sounds? Professional success is about making a living, pursuing excellence, and finding meaning in what you do.

 

When I first started doing standup, I was a nobody. It took more than a decade of playing in front of tuned out crowds. Before it started paying the bills. Then years is a long time to tell jokes for no money to people who aren’t laughing. In those days, I spent a lot of time thinking about the comedians I admired. The guys at the top. I wanted those big, sold out houses I wasn’t playing. The big paydays I wasn’t making. The TV specials I wasn’t doing. And not just their success, their talent. I’d look at comics like George Carlin, Robin Williams and Louis C.K. They were all able to turn their dark, personal struggles in to brilliant comedy. I envy their talent, but I wouldn’t want the dark personal struggles that went along with it. If you don’t factor in everything, about whoever you’re comparing yourself to, you’re playing a sort of mix-and-match game that doesn’t exist in the real world.

 

Here’s one of life’s little truths – everyone is a package deal. You can’t view one element of someone else’s life in isolation. That’s cheating. You can’t say, “I want Louis C.K.’s money and fame, Jay Leno’s car collection and Tom Shillue’s wife and kids.” That person doesn’t exist. If he did, he’d be pretty cool. I’d definitely want to hang with him. Eeveryone has pain in their lives. Think of anybody who you know really well. You know the awful stuff they’ve had to deal with - the demons they battle. How many dead rock stars, movie stars and, yes, comedians does it take to convince us all that everyone’s life is hard? Face it, you really don’t want somebody else’s life. You want your own life – only better. But that’s the thing. You can make your life better by not doing something - comparing yourself to other people. Back when I was a nobody I wanted to sell out the biggest venues and have a prime time TV show with million of viewers. Now I sell out small venues and I’m on in the middle of the night with half a million viewers. And I appreciate every one of them. I guess when I compare myself now to myself then, I’m doing okay. You should try it. I’m Tom Shillue for Prager University.

 

Answers

go along with

tune out

hang with

constitute