“The Great Social Comparison Syndrome” – Your social success and repute are measured in relative to your peers and extended circles. So when your forsake your “financially stable” salaried job and, pursue the entrepreneurship dreams, you expose yourself to unwarranted social scrutiny.  Visions, passions, and dreams don’t matter. As long as you don’t have the financial fluency to compete with your peers and assert your success.

A Candid Conversation between a Start-up Entrepreneur and the ASS.

You: I just left my corporate job.

Anonymous Social Sergeant (ASS): Okay why? Weren’t they paying you well?

You: Yes

ASS: So what happened?

You: No specific reason that instigated by decision. I voluntarily decided to quit the professional obligations. I wasn’t doing anything spectacularly breathtaking at office. Writing piles of software code over weeks, months and even weekends. In a stray attempt to please a bunch of bosses, most of whom have no freaking idea of what’s going on, as long as the management dashboard looks exquisite. And then, you are pushed into the vicious appraisal process, where you compete with ten other fellow-colleagues. Each equally competent as per the supreme standards of the “software fraternity”. And the law of competitive exclusion expects you to invest “extra effort” to steer ahead in the rat race.

I am not complaining. Just felt that a certain dream I was nourishing for so long, deserved more of my time and attention.

ASS: Oh…I have heard all that…passion…dreams!! But are you making good money?

You: Well, the billionaire dream of stashing the bedrolls and toilet tanks with currency notes aren’t happening yet. But we are gradually gaining momentum. Things will get better.

ASS: Ah…That’s a risk. Where’s the social security in this? If you aren’t making more money than what your stable job was offering?

You: It’s like virginity. Feels magical when you lose it to the right person. Even if the relationship lacks social security and the decision might look naïve. However, the tender promises of those dreamy eyes, determination to overcome every odds and the commitment to grow together makes it a worthy risk.

ASS: You know Peterson? He is into corporate too…Seems to be “comfortably settled and earning well”

You: Ah… “The Great Social Comparison Syndrome”. Everyone’s continuous obsession of comparing everyone with everyone. Making everyone unhappy, jealous and discontent.

So you are a person with visions and plans that doesn’t align perfectly with the usual stereotypes – doctors, engineers, marketing, bankers and teachers.  So, a majority of the ‘social guardians’ with their peanut sized IQ gets baffled and confused. So they start doubting the prospects and credibility of the venture. This is in comparison to your peers in the society or family, who followed popular conventional paths and are “comfortably settled and earning well”.

The Great Social Comparison Syndrome

The society reluctantly measures success on just one parameter – Your purse. Even a white collared fraudster enjoys ‘celebrity’ treatment at gala corporate parties.  When you earn in millions, no one cares what you do to earn those millions.