WHERE YOU STAND DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LOOK

Are you doing well? Average? Below average? We know the answer. It's obvious, isn't it?

But how do you know the answer? Where does your response come from?

These judgments, in truth, are entirely relative. Feelings of success are based on our position relative to those who have accomplished less. Feelings of failure are based on our position relative to those who have accomplished more.

Your feelings are as dependent on your frame of reference as they are on anything you've done.

You might imagine that a promotion on the job automatically raises confidence and self-worth.
Instead, studies find nearly half of recently promoted managers in the technology industry express uncertainly and doubt about themselves and their new position.

Psychologists find that the promotion can undermine their self-confidence because instead of being the best among a group of lower-level workers, they now find themselves surrounded by more accomplished people to measure themselves against.