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Comparison is the thief of creative joy

Tom Short is a stand-up comedian and comedy tutor.

Comedy is a tough industry, but one of the hardest parts isn't writing jokes, performing, or handling the grind of open mics - it's managing your own mindset. Specifically, it's resisting the urge to compare yourself to others. Jealousy and comparison don't make you funnier, they don't get you more gigs, and they certainly don't make the journey more enjoyable. Instead, they eat away at your confidence, your friendships, and your ability to create with joy.

Earlier this year, I was at a gig with someone who started around the same time as me. We were catching up when he suddenly asked, "What will you do if one of your Comedy Lab students overtakes you and has more success?" Without hesitation, I said I'd be very happy for them. His response was blunt: "No one should be happy if they're overtaken."

He couldn't be more wrong, but I understand where he was coming from. The comedy industry has a built-in sense of hierarchy - who's rising, who's stagnating, who's in with the right people. As comedians, we are painfully aware of where we stand because the industry constantly reinforces it. This awareness makes it easy to fall into the trap of comparison, which, left unchecked, can turn into jealousy. And once jealousy creeps in, it's a slippery slope.

In my twelve years of doing comedy, I've never seen someone become jealous of another act and thought, "This will make them better." It never works like that. Jealousy doesn't make you funnier. If anything, it makes you worse. It makes you bitter. It makes you resent other people's success rather than focusing on your own growth.

I know this firsthand. I've had housemates and close friends shoot past me in their careers. I've seen them get signed to big agencies, land TV spots, and tour nationally while I was still trying to carve my own path. And for a while, it affected me. I found myself wondering, "Why am I not getting these opportunities?" Instead of looking at what I could improve, I was stuck asking why it wasn't happening for me.

One moment that sticks with me is a party that crops up in my Facebook memories every year. At the time, I was jealous of my friends' success, and I let it affect my relationships. Looking back, I feel sad about it. Not just because I wasn't enjoying their success with them, but because I was letting it cloud my own path.

The truth is, if I had let that jealousy take over, it wouldn't have stopped. My friends who were getting signed back then are now touring worldwide, doing TV regularly, performing in America. If I had kept feeding that resentment, it would have grown with their success. And that's the real danger - jealousy doesn't just stop at one milestone. If you let it, it keeps growing, always finding something new to latch onto.

That's why I believe the only way forward is to focus on making yourself as good and as unique as possible. Your journey is yours alone. Someone else's success doesn't make you any less valid. It doesn't take away your talent or your ability to build a career. If anything, it should serve as a reminder that success is possible.

The happiest, most successful comedians I know aren't the ones constantly looking sideways to see who's ahead of them. They're the ones focused on their craft, their voice, their own path. They understand that comedy isn't a race - it's a lifelong pursuit.

So if you ever find yourself slipping into comparison, take a step back. Remember why you started. Remember that no two comedians take the same route. And most importantly, remember that celebrating others' success doesn't take away from your own - it actually makes the journey a lot more enjoyable.

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