Level Up Journey: Don’t measure your life against others—measure the distance between who you were and who you’ve become!
The Only Upgrade That Counts: You vs. Yesterday You
Ever played a video game where you’re constantly checking someone else’s score? Yeah—annoying, distracting, and completely unhelpful.
But that’s what we do in life. Scroll through Instagram for five seconds and suddenly your world feels… dull. There you are in your coffee-stained hoodie while Fitness_Fiona_92 is doing sunrise yoga on a mountaintop after running a half-marathon—before breakfast.
And just like that, you forget who you were becoming… because you’re too busy watching who they already are.
Let’s fix that. Let’s redefine what “leveling up” actually looks like.
The Comparison Trap: Exit Stage Left
Meet Derailed Darren. Brilliant, creative, the kind of guy whose laugh could brighten a blackout. But every time his college roommate posts another promotion or beach house photo, Darren spirals.
“I should be further along by now,” he mutters.
Compared to what? Compared to whom?
Comparison is a game rigged to make you lose. There will always be someone with a glossier title, more frequent flyer miles, or kids who never color on the walls.
Comparing your journey to theirs is like judging a book by someone else’s final chapter when you’re still writing your plot twist.
So, get off the comparison treadmill. You weren’t meant to run their race.
The Growth Gap: Celebrate Your Distance
Here’s the real scoreboard: the space between who you were and who you’re becoming.
Take Runaway Rita. Three years ago, she couldn’t run 30 seconds without feeling like her lungs were on strike. Last month, she finished her first 5K. Olympic? Nope. Epic? Absolutely.
The only question that matters is: Are you further along than you used to be?
- Can you handle something today that rattled you a year ago?
- Have you built habits your past self couldn’t stick to?
- Are you more kind, patient, courageous—or honest?
If yes, friend, you’re winning.
The Art of Becoming: Your Unique Journey
At 42, Backstroke Bruce learned to swim. Embarrassed at first, sure. But then it hit him—his path wasn’t late, it was just his.
Your growth doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s. Your “Level 10” might be learning to say no without guilt, or finally feeling okay being alone on a Friday night.
Milestones aren’t one-size-fits-all. They’re yours to define. And your path—messy, winding, weird—is valid, worthy, and working.
The Sneaky Saboteur: Old Habits Die Hard
Let’s not pretend growth is all rainbows and journaling. Sometimes it means leaving comfort zones with claw marks on the walls.
Leap-Year Lenny clung to a dead-end job until he couldn’t anymore. He quit, launched a freelance career, and now he’s broke… but joyful. And building.
Growth requires letting go. Of toxic jobs. Of stale mindsets. Of the version of you that stayed small to keep others comfortable.
What’s one thing you’re ready to release?
Measuring What Matters: The Right Yardstick
Forget likes, titles, and timelines. Here’s how to track real growth:
- What used to scare you that now excites you?
- What hard conversation did you finally have?
- How have your instincts changed for the better?
That’s progress. That’s leveling up.
✍️ Note to Self: Your only competition is yesterday’s version of you. Track your personal upgrades, not your neighbor’s highlight reel. That’s where the real winning happens.
Your Turn to Level Up
What’s one way you’ve grown this year that nobody else might notice—but you know it’s huge?
Drop it in the comments. Let’s celebrate the invisible wins—the boundary you set, the old fear you walked through, the peace you finally claimed.
Because in the game of life, the scoreboard that matters most is measuring who you’re becoming.
And that score? It’s climbing.
AI Sidekick Alert: Today’s Quote was unpacked and shaped with more than a little help from my brilliant, behind-the-scenes AI tools.
About Tony
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Tony Brigmon | Speaker—Emcee | TonyBrigmon.com
Tony Brigmon is a party animal. He’s been known to stay up well past nine o’clock drinking root beer and telling G-rated jokes. Sure, the neighbors complain, but that doesn’t stop him. Because Tony is serious about having fun. Serious fun, with serious results.
As a result of his questionable spelling skills, Tony learned at an early age that his name spelled backward is “YNOT.” As in, “YNOT take a closer look at his book?” Or “YNOT smile when you should be crying?”
Tony was a Southwest Airlines “Insider” and the former “face” of their renowned culture as their official “Ambassador of Fun”. At Southwest Airlines, “fun” was the power of “positivity” that helped catapult a small carrier into a force that changed the airline industry.
Today, Tony is a popular speaker, emcee, and author of The FUNomenal™ Workplace. (FUNomenal™ is pronounced the same as phenomenal but it’s a lot more FUN.)
Former CEO of Southwest Airlines Howard Putnam says: “Tony has a gift for blending fun and capturing ideas in a manner that sticks for audiences.” Tony’s friends say that no one should have so much fun while sober. Tony’s wife said she has had about all the cheerfulness she can stand.
“Fun” transformed this author’s work and life. YNOT discover if the serious power of fun can transform the next 30 seconds of your day or 30 years of your life?
YNOT arrange to have Tony Brigmon teach you and your team how the power of fun can help you get more done, bring out the best in everyone, and make you irresistibly attractive in your communication with others. You can do this. So, YNOT?
