The Comparison Trap: Finding Joy in Your Own Journey

 Hey friends. ☕

There’s a saying that’s always stuck with me: comparison is the thief of joy.
And after this past year, I completely understand why.

When I first started my Teachers Pay Teachers store, I wasn’t chasing numbers. I just wanted to share the lessons and activities I loved creating in the classroom. I haven’t taught in three years now, and my brain is still full of ideas that deserve a place to live. That’s why I started TPT in the first place. The extra money was nice, but it wasn’t the reason. It was about creativity.

For a while, things were going really well. I was seeing steady growth and small wins that felt huge to me. I remember making about $30 or $40 in my first month and thinking, that’s $30 or $40 I didn’t have before. I was proud. Then I went to TPT Forward 2024 in San Diego, excited to learn and grow.

If you’ve read my post Why I’m Back (and What I’ve Been Working On), you already know that this trip changed a lot for me. It was inspiring, but it also planted the first seeds of burnout that I talked more about in TPT Forward 2024: What I Learned (and What I’d Do Differently).

The speakers were amazing and generous with their advice. To their credit, they told us to take two or three ideas from the conference and start with those. But I’m an all-or-nothing kind of person. I came home wanting to do everything at once.

And that’s when the comparison trap started pulling me in.

I saw people with hundreds of products, thousands of followers, and teams to help them. They were earning in one month what I might earn in a year. Even though everyone I met was kind and encouraging, I couldn’t help but feel like I was falling behind.

I came home with a massive to-do list and no real direction.

I kept thinking about sales, followers, and growth. Instead of focusing on what I loved doing, I focused on what everyone else was doing better. That mindset drained every ounce of joy I had. I couldn’t bring myself to post my 50th activity. I just stopped.

Looking back now, I realize that chasing growth, sales, and the wrong definition of success burned me out faster than anything else. Success isn’t supposed to steal your joy. It’s supposed to support it.

Right now, I’m on maternity leave, and while life looks very different, it’s given me the space to rebuild that creative spark. Between baby naps and quiet mornings, I’ve been creating again. I have one activity I’m finalizing and five more completely finished, waiting for their marketing touches. With scheduling tools, that’s almost two months of content ready to go.

This time, I’m approaching it differently. I’m comparing myself only to who I was last year. That little button on TPT that says “compared to last year”? That’s the only one I’m letting myself click. And honestly, it’s funny, because this time last year I wasn’t posting anything. So any growth at all feels like a win.

I’m learning to keep my focus where it belongs: on creating meaningful resources, one at a time. That’s where the joy has always been.

💬 Let’s Reflect

Have you ever fallen into the comparison trap? What helps you keep your focus on your own progress instead of everyone else’s? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Stay calm, otters. 🦦

Daniela

🧩 Related Resources

Here are the activities that helped me fall back in love with creating again — the ones that reminded me why I started:

⭐ Graphing Linear Inequalities – Hidden Message | Slope-Intercept & Standard Form|
⭐ Graphing Systems of Inequalities – Riddle | Slope-Intercept & Standard Form
⭐ BUNDLE | Halloween LINEAR, QUADRATIC, & EXPONENTIAL Regression Practice

Thanks for reading! You can find all my math resources on 
👉 Teachers Pay Teachers | Math with Mrs. DOT
and follow along for new posts and classroom ideas on 
📸 Instagram | @mathwithmrsdot
📘 Facebook | @mathwithmrsdott
📌 Pinterest | @mathwithmrsdot