Winning in the Dark: Comparison

Comparisonitis is so common for school leaders.

I used to compare myself to others constantly.

It’s only natural in the face of successful-looking influencers and mountains of social media content.

But two and a half years ago, I got super honest with myself. 

What was actually important to me? Was it accolades and endless business growth?

No. What truly mattered was these two things: my faith and my family.

So I committed to maintaining my business programs, revenue, and profit margins for 24 months, giving me the chance to focus on my deeply-held values.

This is when I began recording The Schools of Excellence Podcast.

Every week, I’d go into my windowless office, record a high-quality episode, and put it out into the world.

No one thanked me for the content. There was no overnight explosion of growth. 

But I stuck with it because it would allow me to attract the right-fit clients while being home with my family.

My podcast is an example of winning in the dark. I’m working in private, with no accolades waiting for me, so that I can eventually achieve my desired outcome.

In a world where everyone wants instant gratification, I encourage you to win in the dark.

Not only will winning in the dark help you create a true school of excellence… it will help you dispel comparisonitis.

That’s because comparison requires looking outward, but you build confidence and self-trust when you keep the promises you make to yourself in private.

Join me in the podcast this week for a conversation about:

• Where comparison comes from
• How to know if you’re experiencing comparisonitis, with symptoms like second-guessing yourself
• Long-term, damaging consequences of falling into the comparison trap
• How school leaders can adopt a self-assured approach to their work instead
• Incentives to winning in the dark, when you can’t rely on public accolades

Learn more and apply for the Director’s Inner Circle & Owner’s HQ: https://schoolsofexcellence.com/membership/ 

Spoiler alert: One of the key strategies for building self-trust and worthiness is to join a supportive community. By sharing your wins with like-minded school leaders who truly get it, you’ll find the quiet recognition you crave. I encourage you to apply for our Owner's HQ and Director's Inner Circle membership programs. As a member, you'll gain access to tools, resources, coaching, and community that will help you as you work toward building a school of excellence.

More about the show:

If you are an Early Childhood director or owner, prepare to transform your school and life with the Schools of Excellence podcast. Tune in each week to learn from Chanie Wilschanski, the founder and host of the Schools of Excellence Podcast and a mom of 4 little kids. Each episode will be packed with tools and strategies – equipping you to build schools with higher staff retention, teacher motivation, parent partnership, collaborative culture, and beautiful quality of life. 

Every week, Chanie shares the truth about the journey to excellence, the strategies that are working TODAY, and the mindset about the critical decisions and choices that you make every day which impact yourself, your teachers, parents, family, and children who you serve every day.