Comparison is the Thief of all Joy

Anybody else feel like a total fraud?  I was scrolling through Instagram the other day and in those squares of perfect floral loveliness, I could feel a rising dread. That feeling that you aren’t quite good enough, not quite keeping up, not as successful as every other florist seems to be. I think we have all felt this to a greater or lesser degree, working alone is hard and it’s probably the one thing I miss about working in a shop, the camaraderie, always having someone to bounce both ideas and problems off. 

But I digress, we all compare our work to other florists that’s natural but is it always healthy? I think it’s great to seek out other florists you admire and learn from their work and style but it’s not healthy if that comparison makes you focus on the negatives and never the positives of the work you do. It is far more empowering to embrace the things that you do well and turn them into your super power. If colour is your skill, then expand on that and show off those brave colour schemes that others may not be able to pull off. 

Once you start to play to your own strengths then comparison comes from a place of curiosity and growth not from a place of negativity and overwhelm. It becomes easier to engage and connect with others in your industry and share ideas rather than thinking they want to steal your secret sauce, collaborative working opens so many doors and leads to real growth.

I also believe that once you truly reflect on your personal strengths, and through that, the strengths of your business, the confidence this brings actually makes running a business easier. When you lead with your natural strengths it shines through and you become more enthusiastic, you communicate better because you are using the expertise in your field that you naturally possess. Confidence is attractive and also contagious; it makes closing bookings simpler because your clients trust you to deliver.

I think successful creatives understand their unique talents and once you do that, you can begin to set the pace of your progress. By no longer making comparison a tool to steal your joy, your new found confidence in your own special talents will allow you to embrace new trends, techniques and collaborations. Comparing your pace to others will no longer be in a negative way, rather it will allow you to understand that your pace comes from a 'self-assuredness' that you are running your business how you want and that is a very freeing feeling.

So next time you are settling down for a little bit of mindless scrolling, take a few moments to congratulate yourself on all your achievements as a florist and business owner first. Remember that your natural talent and style is what makes you stand out from the crowd and attracts your clients. Compare away but do it from a place that allows you to celebrate your own uniqueness and everything that you have created, steal back that joy for all the times your flowers have made a difference.

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Viv Bradford trained in West Germany in the late 1980s before returning to the UK, where she has pursued many roles in the industry from running retail premises, teaching floristry, working in wholesale, business coaching florists and running an award-winning studio florist specialising in weddings. Viv also created and runs Facebook group The Floristry Geek for students and those new to the industry which concentrates on educational content.