Overcoming Comparison: The Hidden Struggles Behind Success
Posted on: Mar 11, 2025
Photo Credit: Fizkes // Shutterstock“The funny thing about social media is that it removes the process from creativity. You see the people you love and then you see the output. But rarely do you get to see or understand the challenges of the process. And that can be intimidating. Because it gives the illusion that what people make comes far more easily than what is actually the case.”
–Dan Levy
Awards season: the time of year when the world’s hottest people dress up to look even hotter and give each other obscure pieces of gold, shaped like armless men. While this tradition can be fun for everyone involved, it can also be depressing for those not winning awards, or whose dreams in the industry seem so far away. I think it’s important to dive into one of the biggest roadblocks to success in any industry, but especially in entertainment and Hollywood: comparison.
They say that “comparison is the thief of joy,” which explains why Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson always looks so happy—because there is no one named “The Rock 2.” As a human being in 2025 who has social media, I’ve absolutely struggled with comparing myself to others. When I meet someone successful in the industry, I often fight the urge to run to IMDb to see if they’re doing better than me.
Luckily, the great Dan Levy, creator of Schitt’s Creek, posted an Instagram reel recently talking about comparison, and gave some incredibly sage advice on how to take a larger view of what we’re often seeing on social media.
Key Insights:
•Social media often masks the struggles behind creative success, making achievements seem effortless.
•Talking to successful people reveals that doubt, rejection, and hard work are universal experiences.
•True success comes from embracing imperfection and persistence, not effortless talent.
The Big Picture
One of the biggest traps of comparing yourself on social media is something that many of us are already aware of, but doesn’t make it any easier to ignore: people mostly only post and promote their successes. It is extremely rare, especially in Hollywood, for any film or TV production to post honest, gritty and tense moments from behind the scenes—let alone the hundreds of hours it takes to create the finished product.
This might seem like a small thing, but recognizing it is the first huge step in overcoming comparison. Think of it this way: the way most people post on social media in the industry would be like someone asking you to build a car from scratch, and the only thing you posted was the final day when you painted it and put it all together. You’d never show the 40 (or, in my case, probably 18,827) days it took to build the thing.
Seeing people’s achievements online is only one piece of a much bigger puzzle—a puzzle filled with hard work, endless rejections, self-doubt, comparison, wins, losses, notes from networks, negative comments from family members and unnecessary juice cleanses. And if you still don’t believe me, start asking around.
Talk to People
I’ve been fortunate enough to talk to many people in the industry, ranging from the ultra-successful to the struggling-but-persistent. If there’s one consistent through line in all these conversations, it’s that success is much harder than it looks. I’ve known people who have written for, or starred in some of the biggest TV shows of our lifetime, and almost all of them have horror stories—struggles, night terrors, thoughts of quitting, and wild bouts of anger (which, in hindsight, were usually pretty funny and fascinating to hear about).
About eight years ago, I was sitting at a table with a bunch of comedians, including one who is now arguably the biggest stand-up comic in America. At the time, he was riddled with self-doubt. He looked at all of us with sunken eyes and said, “I am a nobody.”
I’m not sharing this to belittle anyone or any production, but it’s incredibly important that we be honest and authentic about our experiences. It serves as a reminder to those who think success is impossible, or outside their reach, that everyone working in this industry is human—and everything is not as sparkly as it seems. That’s a great thing because it means you don’t have to be perfect to succeed. You just need to be you—flaws and all.
Recently, Tom Hanks debunked the myth that even the greatest actors don’t get nervous, have doubts or struggle with anxiety. He said he’s seen everyone—from Paul Newman to Meryl Streep—nervously pacing and mumbling their lines to themselves. The same goes for directors, writers, camera operators and makeup artists. Because if there’s one thing they all have in common, it’s that they’re human—just like you.
Brendan Fitzgibbons is a comedy writer and actor living in Los Angeles. He’s written for Comedy Central, The Onion, NBC, HuffPost and Bravo. As an actor, he’s appeared on Comedy Central, MTV and “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.” His podcast, “Spiritual As****e” was named a Top Indie Podcast by Stitcher.
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