September 8, 2025 • 21 mins
In this episode, AJ dives into the hidden dangers of comparison and how it can hinder personal growth and success. She ties these lessons to both athletic performance and everyday life, aiming to build mental resilience alongside physical strength.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. Welcome to Dropping Diamonds with Me
AJ Andrews, where we dive headfirst into the world of softball. Today,
(00:23):
we're going to dive deep into what comparisons and you know,
comparisons can be the worst thing that truly are the
biggest inhibitor to your success and the biggest inhibitor to
your growth, because when you compare, you're constantly looking side
(00:43):
to side back, but never looking forward. And the only
way to truly ascend is to look and to go forward.
And that means keeping your eyes focused on your own
path and no one else is but yours. And so
before we dive deeper into comparison, I really want to
start with an affirmation for the day to keep us
(01:04):
all focused on staying towards that journey and that road
that solely belongs to us, and a quote that I
really want to start with. I think when we hear
the word comparisons, one of the main quotes that come
to mind is comparison is the thief of joy, which
I like that quote. I do because I believe it.
(01:24):
I believe once you compare yourself to others, you are
taking away what makes you special and ultimately taking away
your own joy. It is a thief of joy because
you're comparing yourself to things or people that you weren't
meant to be, like you were meant to be the
best and the biggest you and no one else. But
the quote that I really want to focus on today
(01:46):
is a flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It
just blooms. And I think that that quote is something
that hits me so strongly because there are so many
beautiful flowers in the world, and my favorite flower isn't
going to be the same as your favorite flower. My
favorite flower are tulips, and there's a handful of people
(02:10):
in this world that absolutely love tulips and that they're
going to seek out to go all over the world
to find the most beautiful tulips. And for the next person,
it's some flowers, and for the next person it's hydrangeas.
But I think that that's what makes everything so beautiful.
It's the fact that that flower isn't worried if the
next person's favorite flowers is some flower or hydrangea. They
(02:33):
are worried about just blooming. The only focus is becoming
the biggest and the most beautiful flower that that flower
can be. And I think that that should be a
testament to all humans, whether you're an athlete or just
your day to day life, be a flower. Don't worry
about what's happening all around you, or what someone's favorite
might be, or what someone might prefer. That's not your focus.
(02:55):
Your focus is blooming. And when you bloom, that is
when the people and the opportunities that are for you
are going to come and seek out for you. They're
gonna search for you. And I think from an affirmation,
for an affirmation where you can really derive from that
is I am me. I'm going to be the best
meat I can be because there isn't anyone in the
world that has a vision to see all I can
(03:17):
do and be better than me. So say that again,
it's I love a good rhyme in a way that
we could really get that sunk into our mind and
feeling good to start the day. Wake up and look
in the morning, look at the mirror in the morning
and say I am me, and I'm going to be
the best meat I can be, because there isn't anyone
in the world that has a vision to see all
(03:38):
I can do and be better than me. Member of
flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It just blooms.
As we continue to bloom, whether it is on and
off the field, as we continue to drop diamonds. We're
gonna continue to talk about comparisons because one of the
places in which comparisons live so hefty and live very
(04:01):
largely is oftentimes in sports. It's so easy to compare
ourselves to the next person as an athlete, to compare
our success, to compare our growth, to compare where we
are along our journey of getting better. And when we
compare ourselves to other people, we ultimately put a stop
(04:22):
to our own growth. We ultimately put a stop to
what it is that we could potentially achieve because we're
worried about the next person. I read this one coda
says comparison is ultimately dangerous because it stops you. It's
dangerous to your growth, it is dangerous to all you
can be, and it truly is like your number one up.
(04:44):
The moment you begin to compare yourself to someone else,
you stop the focus being on yourself. And when you
stop the focus from being on yourself, how can you
reach the best that you can be? And I think
it's so important as athletes, instead of comparing ourselves to
the next athlete, to compare ourselves to who we were
yesterday and no one else. Because every single day, if
(05:06):
I go out and I'm looking to beat not this
person or that person, I'm looking to beat my performance
from yesterday, you have no choice but to get better.
You have no choice but to succeed. You have no
choice but to continue to prevail, to persevere, and to
keep pushing forward. Every day, I want to outdo what
I did yesterday. I have no competition other than the
(05:29):
aj that performed yesterday. If I can beat her, that
is how I know that I'm good. That is how
I know that I'm getting better. That is how I
know that I am blooming. And I think when you
think of comparison, the definition of comparison is a consideration
or estimate of similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people,
which means, if you're sitting there comparing, you are considering
(05:52):
or estimating what makes you similar or it makes you
different from someone else. Think about all the time you
can be putting in and to considering what it is
that you could do to be better than you were yesterday.
That type of energy. They say energy is currency, time
is money, And the amount of time that you spend
(06:12):
thinking about someone else, you could have already gotten better.
That swing could have been perfected, that ball could have
been caught, That one bad hop could have been something
that you figured out, and it could be now easy
as better. Considering what it is that you can do
to get better rather than considering how it is you
can be better than someone else. That sounds like a
(06:32):
lot of wasted time and time that you could be
putting in to making yourself the best you. And I
think what's really cool about getting over comparison and cool
about working hard and being the best that you can
be is embarrassment. Now stick with me. Stick with me,
because who wants to be embarrassed? Right? No one likes
to feel embarrassed the same way no one likes to
(06:54):
experience failure. But if you think about I think everything
in life is about perspective, and perspective change an embarrassment.
I watched this video the other day and they said
that Embarrassment is an under explored emotion. Go and make
a fool of yourself, Go and be embarrassed. Go die
(07:14):
for that ball that seems impossible to catch. Go swing
for that pitch that you just don't think you can
get to right. Swing out of your socks on an
O two count, because you feel like you can do it.
If you strike out, you strike out right. They always say,
one of my favorite things is you show me a
player that is afraid of failure. I'll show you a
player you can meet every single time. And the reason
(07:36):
why you be afraid of failure is because you be
embarrassed by it. Failure feels the way it does because
it is toppled on top of that embarrassment and embarrassment.
I'm not either reaching your goal or the embarrassment I'm
not doing what you wanted to do, or the embarrassment
of feeling not good enough. Whatever embarrassment it is, that
is what keeps us from doing certain things. No one
likes to feel embarrassed. But if you really think about it,
(07:57):
to me, embarrassed is being embarrass is a choice? Right,
You're going on, you do it. It's a decision. There's
so many people that do these different things. Like you
see someone dancing in the middle of the street to
one person, that looks like freedom. To another person, they'd
be so embarrassed. Go out and make it feel like freedom.
And it's like the more you do something, the less
(08:19):
embarrassed will be by it. It's like anything we talked
about confidence, like it's a working a muscle. Go out
and explore embarrassment. Why do you feel embarrassed? Does it matter?
None of it matters. Go out and do it anyway.
The best things are on the other side of embarrassment.
The best things are on the other side of your
(08:40):
comfort zone. And oftentimes embarrassment is the entry price for success. Actually,
most times, embarrassment is the entry price for success, whether
it's as an athlete or it's you're building a business.
Right you're going to post that post that it's zero likes,
maybe twenty likes before where you post the post it
(09:00):
gets two hundred, before you post the post that gets
two thousand, before the post that gets two million. Feel embarrassed.
You're not gonna like it. You're gonna stop. Most people,
I love the quote of don't stop now where you're stopping.
It's just at the point right now where you feel uncomfortable.
This is the part where most people quit. Keep going
(09:21):
the point where you feel the most uncomfortable, that should
be the point where you get the most excited and
you push further and further through because on the opposite side,
at that point where most people stop is the best
things that most people will never see. The individuals that
push through that embarrassment, the individuals that push through on comfort,
are the people that get to reap the benefits that
(09:43):
most people sit and only get to wish for. But
why because they pay the price of that embarrassment. They
were they weren't embarrassed to pay that price. Go explore
the embarrassing and see what comes of it once you
get through there. There are so many great things that
come from opposite side of getting through uncomfortable or getting
through feeling embarrassed. And it's the same thing when you're
(10:05):
at the plate. It's the same thing when you're on
the field. If you can go through the uncomfortable things,
if you can go through the moments that make people
most people quit, and you get through that, oh you'll
reach levels of success, reach levels of determination that you
didn't even know were possible, let's take a quick break
to hear a word from our sponsor. You're going to
(10:36):
meet so many different people along your path that are
going to tell you how to do something or that
you should or shouldn't be doing something, And one thing
I think is important to remember. It sounds a little tricky,
but it starts like this. If you can tell me
what to do, then you can tell me what to do.
But if you cannot tell me, step by step how
(10:57):
to get Ryannie to go, then you cannot tell me
what to do. So, essentially wrapping that up, it's basically,
listen to people that have your best interests at heart.
Listen to people to know. The difference is that that
person is giving you step by step advice, right, versus
someone like, no, I don't think that's good for you, Well,
why isn't it good for me? Right? If someone doesn't
(11:19):
know how to get somewhere. Basically, don't take advice from
people that you wouldn't want to switch lives with. I mean,
we could really shorten it that way, right, don't take
advice from people that potentially in whatever fast and it
couldn't doesn't just have to be right in a financial
standpoint of switching lives, right, it could just be wisdom.
(11:39):
Like there's someone we all know who we think is
the smartest person on this earth, and then there's someone we
know who maybe we think is most athletic person this earth.
And then there's someone we know that we think is
the most stylish person on this earth. We're gonna go
to them for different things, Right, I'm probably not gonna
go to my most stylish friend and ask them about math, right,
(12:00):
But I may go to my mother who's a teacher
and ask her about math. Right, But I'm maybe not
going to go ask the person that is a writer
about how to be the best athlete. So when I
say you make sure you want to switch lives to
that person, I mean in that category, not necessarily as
a whole. But take advice from individuals who you believe
(12:21):
have either done it, they have seen it been done,
or they have helped others do it as well. Comparison
is something that no matter what you do, it is
only going to stunt your success and to get through
it sometimes oftentimes most times, the entry price is embarrassment.
Go explore it. It's an undexporting motion and you'll be
(12:44):
so surprised by the things that you find on the
other side, because oftentimes on the other side we're going
to gain a new sense of confidence. Confidence is I
mean we can feel when someone is confident right. Confident
is not loud, It's a presence we feel right. No
one has to come in and announce that they're confident.
We can see it. We can see it, we can
(13:05):
feel it the way they walk, the way they talk,
the way they present themselves. Confidence is more so of
feeling rather than an aesthetic. But what I really think
about with confidence and the most confident people, most confident
people don't compare themselves to anybody. They don't feel the
need to what is there to I am. The confident
people are so confident and self assured within who they
(13:29):
are and what they're able to do, that they quite
literally don't care what someone else has going on. That
is none of their business because right now I'm focused
on being the best meat I can be, And if
I'm focused on something or someone else is going to
stop me, and it ultimately is going to deter and
diminish my confidence because I'm not that person. And so
(13:52):
when you go in, you gotta think confidence isn't walking
into a room and thinking that you're better than anyone
else's walking in and not feeling the need to compare
at all. Know that no matter what is that you
are experiencing, whether it's on or off the field, that
you are assigned that particular mountain to show that it
can be moved. You were assigned that particular mountain to
(14:15):
show it can be moved. And you, and you only
you are the only person that can move this particular mountain,
and so you looking into someone else on how to
do it is going to have no effect on the
mountain you're supposed to be moving. You have to focus
on your mountain, your path, and then you show how
it can be moved, and you become a guide to
someone else. And something that is so important to me
(14:37):
when we talk about comparison is to make people guides,
not goals. Allow someone to be your guide to success,
not your goal. The moment you make someone your goal
is this the moment you put a cap on your
own success. You put a cap on the things that
you could possibly achieve because they are your limit. That
goal is your limit to what is that you can do.
(15:00):
You have no limits. You are limitless. You have to
have that confidence and the ability to not compare. You
had to think that if Rihanna didn't start Finty Beauty,
because the beauty industry is so saturated with different makeup brands,
where would she be now? Right? That didn't stop her. Why?
Because she's Rihanna and there's no one else on this
earth that is Rihanna. And you have to understand that
(15:22):
you are you, and there's no one else in this
world that can be a better you, and that is
your superpower and utilize that superpower, whether it is I'm
really great at bunting. I'm gonna go and be the
best bunter. I'm really great at hitting line drives. I'm
really great at hitting the ball of your fence. I'm
really great at seeing the ball deep. I'm really great
at the inside pitch. I'm really great at making diving catches.
(15:45):
I'm really great at scooping up the ball. Whatever is
your superpower, you make that your superpower and you fly
to the success that you want to reach. Don't limit
yourself or put yourself down because your superpower doesn't look
like someone else's. You're supposed to be the best you
to be a guide and to show the people that
it can be done, to show that everybody in the
mountain can be moved. But you're not gonna move your
(16:05):
mountain if you're worried about what the other one looks
like as you continue to work through not comparing. Another
fun quote thing that something I like to think about
is there's no comparison between the moon and the sun,
yet they both shine. It is okay to be just
as good as someone else or in different capacities, right
(16:29):
you are. It's okay to two people amazing at something.
The sun and the moon are. They have no comparison.
We see them at two different times of the day
when the sun is up. You're not thinking about the moon.
They both shine. They both come when we need to.
Some people love the sunlight more and some people love
the moonlight more. You go where is great for you,
(16:50):
but you go out and you shine no matter what.
I know. Another really fun thing to talk about how
a monkey and a fish are both great at two
different things. But if I were to judge a monkey
off of it's swimming and a fish off its ability
to climb a tree, I would go my entire life
thinking that they were talentless. You have to know what
(17:11):
you are good at, and you go be amazing and
the best at what you are good at. Don't compare
yourself the other. There's simply no comparison. There's no comparison
between a monkey and a fish. They're both. The monkey's
amazing at climbing the tree, so go climb the tree.
If you're a fish and you're amazing at swimming, go
swim the furthest distances. But once you begin to compare
(17:33):
and you see yourself as, oh well, I can't climb
that tree, that doesn't matter. That is not your journey,
that is not your mountain to be moved, do not
compare yourself. Make sure you're focused on your own journey
and your own path, and know that the talent that
lies within you is bigger and better than you could
ever imagine. As long as you focus and you hone
in on that, and you make that bigger and better,
(17:55):
There's no such thing as you cannot anything you set
your mind to. It is possible as long as you work,
and you only compare yourself to who you were yesterday,
not to anyone else. Remember, guys, I just want to
make sure as we continue to drop diamonds, whether it's
on or off the field, that you are feeling like
(18:17):
you are the biggest and the best, and that you
know that you are the most beautiful flower that there
possibly can be. He had a thing is eve when
we talk about comparisons. You could be the biggest, juiciest,
ripest peach in the world, and there's still going to
be someone out there that just doesn't like peaches and
that has nothing to do with you, absolutely nothing to
(18:39):
do with You go out and you find your group,
You find your niche. You go and find the people
that love peaches because you are a star in their eyes.
Why go where you're not love, Why go where you're
not felt. You go and you make the impact to
those that want to be impacted. Don't go seek out
others that have no idea your capabilities or what you
(18:59):
can do, what you can achieve. I'm gonna say that again.
You can be the biggest, ripest, juiciest peach in the world,
and there's still going to be someone out there that
doesn't like peaches and that will have nothing to do
with you. That is not your business. You move towards
those individuals that love the peaches, and you go be
celebrated and appreciated where you are and where you're supposed
(19:21):
to be. So, whether it's on or off the field,
the pressure can really and truly be something that's daunting,
the pressure to compare yourself, the pressure to be better.
But as long as I continue to stay focused on
my journey and on my path, I will be the
best I can be, and I will achieve all the
(19:41):
things that I want to achieve. Embarrassment is often the
price of entry to success. Allow yourself to feel it,
because on the other side of it is where all
the things that you want lie. Go out and be
the biggest and the brightest flower. Don't focus on any
other flower. Please just go out and bloom. You have
(20:03):
no limits to the success in this world. The only
limits you have are the ones that you placed upon yourselves.
And you are limitless. We all are limitless, and the
only thing that limits us are the comparisons. So please
go out, be limitless, feel and achieve all the limitless
things that you want to and remember. And the only
way we can do that is if we don't compare
(20:25):
ourselves to others, only to who we were yesterday. All right,
my diamond listeners. I want to keep this conversation going
because this podcast is your landing spot for all things softball,
and so we're gonna talk all things softball, but also
all things life. Because your mental and how you feel
and how you believe in yourself is really what makes
(20:46):
you a great athlete, whether it's softball or beyond. So
we're not just trying to be great softball players, We're
trying to be great and strong within our mind as well.
Make sure you visit Dropping Diamonds pod on Instagram and
leave a comment let me know your thoughts on this
episode and other episodes you want to hear on the show.
Thank you so much for listening, and remember our affirmation
that a flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It
(21:08):
just blooms. Baby, go out and bloom. I'll meet you
here next week back at the Diamonds, Bye and out.
Dropping Diamonds with Aj Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. I'm your host, AJ Andrews. Our
(21:32):
executive producer is Jesse Katz. Tari Harrison is our supervising
producer and This episode was mixed and mastered by Mary Do.
Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. Welcome to Dropping Diamonds with Me
AJ Andrews, where we dive headfirst into the world of softball. Today,
(00:23):
we're going to dive deep into what comparisons and you know,
comparisons can be the worst thing that truly are the
biggest inhibitor to your success and the biggest inhibitor to
your growth, because when you compare, you're constantly looking side
(00:43):
to side back, but never looking forward. And the only
way to truly ascend is to look and to go forward.
And that means keeping your eyes focused on your own
path and no one else is but yours. And so
before we dive deeper into comparison, I really want to
start with an affirmation for the day to keep us
(01:04):
all focused on staying towards that journey and that road
that solely belongs to us, and a quote that I
really want to start with. I think when we hear
the word comparisons, one of the main quotes that come
to mind is comparison is the thief of joy, which
I like that quote. I do because I believe it.
(01:24):
I believe once you compare yourself to others, you are
taking away what makes you special and ultimately taking away
your own joy. It is a thief of joy because
you're comparing yourself to things or people that you weren't
meant to be, like you were meant to be the
best and the biggest you and no one else. But
the quote that I really want to focus on today
(01:46):
is a flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It
just blooms. And I think that that quote is something
that hits me so strongly because there are so many
beautiful flowers in the world, and my favorite flower isn't
going to be the same as your favorite flower. My
favorite flower are tulips, and there's a handful of people
(02:10):
in this world that absolutely love tulips and that they're
going to seek out to go all over the world
to find the most beautiful tulips. And for the next person,
it's some flowers, and for the next person it's hydrangeas.
But I think that that's what makes everything so beautiful.
It's the fact that that flower isn't worried if the
next person's favorite flowers is some flower or hydrangea. They
(02:33):
are worried about just blooming. The only focus is becoming
the biggest and the most beautiful flower that that flower
can be. And I think that that should be a
testament to all humans, whether you're an athlete or just
your day to day life, be a flower. Don't worry
about what's happening all around you, or what someone's favorite
might be, or what someone might prefer. That's not your focus.
(02:55):
Your focus is blooming. And when you bloom, that is
when the people and the opportunities that are for you
are going to come and seek out for you. They're
gonna search for you. And I think from an affirmation,
for an affirmation where you can really derive from that
is I am me. I'm going to be the best
meat I can be because there isn't anyone in the
world that has a vision to see all I can
(03:17):
do and be better than me. So say that again,
it's I love a good rhyme in a way that
we could really get that sunk into our mind and
feeling good to start the day. Wake up and look
in the morning, look at the mirror in the morning
and say I am me, and I'm going to be
the best meat I can be, because there isn't anyone
in the world that has a vision to see all
(03:38):
I can do and be better than me. Member of
flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It just blooms.
As we continue to bloom, whether it is on and
off the field, as we continue to drop diamonds. We're
gonna continue to talk about comparisons because one of the
places in which comparisons live so hefty and live very
(04:01):
largely is oftentimes in sports. It's so easy to compare
ourselves to the next person as an athlete, to compare
our success, to compare our growth, to compare where we
are along our journey of getting better. And when we
compare ourselves to other people, we ultimately put a stop
(04:22):
to our own growth. We ultimately put a stop to
what it is that we could potentially achieve because we're
worried about the next person. I read this one coda
says comparison is ultimately dangerous because it stops you. It's
dangerous to your growth, it is dangerous to all you
can be, and it truly is like your number one up.
(04:44):
The moment you begin to compare yourself to someone else,
you stop the focus being on yourself. And when you
stop the focus from being on yourself, how can you
reach the best that you can be? And I think
it's so important as athletes, instead of comparing ourselves to
the next athlete, to compare ourselves to who we were
yesterday and no one else. Because every single day, if
(05:06):
I go out and I'm looking to beat not this
person or that person, I'm looking to beat my performance
from yesterday, you have no choice but to get better.
You have no choice but to succeed. You have no
choice but to continue to prevail, to persevere, and to
keep pushing forward. Every day, I want to outdo what
I did yesterday. I have no competition other than the
(05:29):
aj that performed yesterday. If I can beat her, that
is how I know that I'm good. That is how
I know that I'm getting better. That is how I
know that I am blooming. And I think when you
think of comparison, the definition of comparison is a consideration
or estimate of similarities or dissimilarities between two things or people,
which means, if you're sitting there comparing, you are considering
(05:52):
or estimating what makes you similar or it makes you
different from someone else. Think about all the time you
can be putting in and to considering what it is
that you could do to be better than you were yesterday.
That type of energy. They say energy is currency, time
is money, And the amount of time that you spend
(06:12):
thinking about someone else, you could have already gotten better.
That swing could have been perfected, that ball could have
been caught, That one bad hop could have been something
that you figured out, and it could be now easy
as better. Considering what it is that you can do
to get better rather than considering how it is you
can be better than someone else. That sounds like a
(06:32):
lot of wasted time and time that you could be
putting in to making yourself the best you. And I
think what's really cool about getting over comparison and cool
about working hard and being the best that you can
be is embarrassment. Now stick with me. Stick with me,
because who wants to be embarrassed? Right? No one likes
to feel embarrassed the same way no one likes to
(06:54):
experience failure. But if you think about I think everything
in life is about perspective, and perspective change an embarrassment.
I watched this video the other day and they said
that Embarrassment is an under explored emotion. Go and make
a fool of yourself, Go and be embarrassed. Go die
(07:14):
for that ball that seems impossible to catch. Go swing
for that pitch that you just don't think you can
get to right. Swing out of your socks on an
O two count, because you feel like you can do it.
If you strike out, you strike out right. They always say,
one of my favorite things is you show me a
player that is afraid of failure. I'll show you a
player you can meet every single time. And the reason
(07:36):
why you be afraid of failure is because you be
embarrassed by it. Failure feels the way it does because
it is toppled on top of that embarrassment and embarrassment.
I'm not either reaching your goal or the embarrassment I'm
not doing what you wanted to do, or the embarrassment
of feeling not good enough. Whatever embarrassment it is, that
is what keeps us from doing certain things. No one
likes to feel embarrassed. But if you really think about it,
(07:57):
to me, embarrassed is being embarrass is a choice? Right,
You're going on, you do it. It's a decision. There's
so many people that do these different things. Like you
see someone dancing in the middle of the street to
one person, that looks like freedom. To another person, they'd
be so embarrassed. Go out and make it feel like freedom.
And it's like the more you do something, the less
(08:19):
embarrassed will be by it. It's like anything we talked
about confidence, like it's a working a muscle. Go out
and explore embarrassment. Why do you feel embarrassed? Does it matter?
None of it matters. Go out and do it anyway.
The best things are on the other side of embarrassment.
The best things are on the other side of your
(08:40):
comfort zone. And oftentimes embarrassment is the entry price for success. Actually,
most times, embarrassment is the entry price for success, whether
it's as an athlete or it's you're building a business.
Right you're going to post that post that it's zero likes,
maybe twenty likes before where you post the post it
(09:00):
gets two hundred, before you post the post that gets
two thousand, before the post that gets two million. Feel embarrassed.
You're not gonna like it. You're gonna stop. Most people,
I love the quote of don't stop now where you're stopping.
It's just at the point right now where you feel uncomfortable.
This is the part where most people quit. Keep going
(09:21):
the point where you feel the most uncomfortable, that should
be the point where you get the most excited and
you push further and further through because on the opposite side,
at that point where most people stop is the best
things that most people will never see. The individuals that
push through that embarrassment, the individuals that push through on comfort,
are the people that get to reap the benefits that
(09:43):
most people sit and only get to wish for. But
why because they pay the price of that embarrassment. They
were they weren't embarrassed to pay that price. Go explore
the embarrassing and see what comes of it once you
get through there. There are so many great things that
come from opposite side of getting through uncomfortable or getting
through feeling embarrassed. And it's the same thing when you're
(10:05):
at the plate. It's the same thing when you're on
the field. If you can go through the uncomfortable things,
if you can go through the moments that make people
most people quit, and you get through that, oh you'll
reach levels of success, reach levels of determination that you
didn't even know were possible, let's take a quick break
to hear a word from our sponsor. You're going to
(10:36):
meet so many different people along your path that are
going to tell you how to do something or that
you should or shouldn't be doing something, And one thing
I think is important to remember. It sounds a little tricky,
but it starts like this. If you can tell me
what to do, then you can tell me what to do.
But if you cannot tell me, step by step how
(10:57):
to get Ryannie to go, then you cannot tell me
what to do. So, essentially wrapping that up, it's basically,
listen to people that have your best interests at heart.
Listen to people to know. The difference is that that
person is giving you step by step advice, right, versus
someone like, no, I don't think that's good for you, Well,
why isn't it good for me? Right? If someone doesn't
(11:19):
know how to get somewhere. Basically, don't take advice from
people that you wouldn't want to switch lives with. I mean,
we could really shorten it that way, right, don't take
advice from people that potentially in whatever fast and it
couldn't doesn't just have to be right in a financial
standpoint of switching lives, right, it could just be wisdom.
(11:39):
Like there's someone we all know who we think is
the smartest person on this earth, and then there's someone we
know who maybe we think is most athletic person this earth.
And then there's someone we know that we think is
the most stylish person on this earth. We're gonna go
to them for different things, Right, I'm probably not gonna
go to my most stylish friend and ask them about math, right,
(12:00):
But I may go to my mother who's a teacher
and ask her about math. Right, But I'm maybe not
going to go ask the person that is a writer
about how to be the best athlete. So when I
say you make sure you want to switch lives to
that person, I mean in that category, not necessarily as
a whole. But take advice from individuals who you believe
(12:21):
have either done it, they have seen it been done,
or they have helped others do it as well. Comparison
is something that no matter what you do, it is
only going to stunt your success and to get through
it sometimes oftentimes most times, the entry price is embarrassment.
Go explore it. It's an undexporting motion and you'll be
(12:44):
so surprised by the things that you find on the
other side, because oftentimes on the other side we're going
to gain a new sense of confidence. Confidence is I
mean we can feel when someone is confident right. Confident
is not loud, It's a presence we feel right. No
one has to come in and announce that they're confident.
We can see it. We can see it, we can
(13:05):
feel it the way they walk, the way they talk,
the way they present themselves. Confidence is more so of
feeling rather than an aesthetic. But what I really think
about with confidence and the most confident people, most confident
people don't compare themselves to anybody. They don't feel the
need to what is there to I am. The confident
people are so confident and self assured within who they
(13:29):
are and what they're able to do, that they quite
literally don't care what someone else has going on. That
is none of their business because right now I'm focused
on being the best meat I can be, And if
I'm focused on something or someone else is going to
stop me, and it ultimately is going to deter and
diminish my confidence because I'm not that person. And so
(13:52):
when you go in, you gotta think confidence isn't walking
into a room and thinking that you're better than anyone
else's walking in and not feeling the need to compare
at all. Know that no matter what is that you
are experiencing, whether it's on or off the field, that
you are assigned that particular mountain to show that it
can be moved. You were assigned that particular mountain to
(14:15):
show it can be moved. And you, and you only
you are the only person that can move this particular mountain,
and so you looking into someone else on how to
do it is going to have no effect on the
mountain you're supposed to be moving. You have to focus
on your mountain, your path, and then you show how
it can be moved, and you become a guide to
someone else. And something that is so important to me
(14:37):
when we talk about comparison is to make people guides,
not goals. Allow someone to be your guide to success,
not your goal. The moment you make someone your goal
is this the moment you put a cap on your
own success. You put a cap on the things that
you could possibly achieve because they are your limit. That
goal is your limit to what is that you can do.
(15:00):
You have no limits. You are limitless. You have to
have that confidence and the ability to not compare. You
had to think that if Rihanna didn't start Finty Beauty,
because the beauty industry is so saturated with different makeup brands,
where would she be now? Right? That didn't stop her. Why?
Because she's Rihanna and there's no one else on this
earth that is Rihanna. And you have to understand that
(15:22):
you are you, and there's no one else in this
world that can be a better you, and that is
your superpower and utilize that superpower, whether it is I'm
really great at bunting. I'm gonna go and be the
best bunter. I'm really great at hitting line drives. I'm
really great at hitting the ball of your fence. I'm
really great at seeing the ball deep. I'm really great
at the inside pitch. I'm really great at making diving catches.
(15:45):
I'm really great at scooping up the ball. Whatever is
your superpower, you make that your superpower and you fly
to the success that you want to reach. Don't limit
yourself or put yourself down because your superpower doesn't look
like someone else's. You're supposed to be the best you
to be a guide and to show the people that
it can be done, to show that everybody in the
mountain can be moved. But you're not gonna move your
(16:05):
mountain if you're worried about what the other one looks
like as you continue to work through not comparing. Another
fun quote thing that something I like to think about
is there's no comparison between the moon and the sun,
yet they both shine. It is okay to be just
as good as someone else or in different capacities, right
(16:29):
you are. It's okay to two people amazing at something.
The sun and the moon are. They have no comparison.
We see them at two different times of the day
when the sun is up. You're not thinking about the moon.
They both shine. They both come when we need to.
Some people love the sunlight more and some people love
the moonlight more. You go where is great for you,
(16:50):
but you go out and you shine no matter what.
I know. Another really fun thing to talk about how
a monkey and a fish are both great at two
different things. But if I were to judge a monkey
off of it's swimming and a fish off its ability
to climb a tree, I would go my entire life
thinking that they were talentless. You have to know what
(17:11):
you are good at, and you go be amazing and
the best at what you are good at. Don't compare
yourself the other. There's simply no comparison. There's no comparison
between a monkey and a fish. They're both. The monkey's
amazing at climbing the tree, so go climb the tree.
If you're a fish and you're amazing at swimming, go
swim the furthest distances. But once you begin to compare
(17:33):
and you see yourself as, oh well, I can't climb
that tree, that doesn't matter. That is not your journey,
that is not your mountain to be moved, do not
compare yourself. Make sure you're focused on your own journey
and your own path, and know that the talent that
lies within you is bigger and better than you could
ever imagine. As long as you focus and you hone
in on that, and you make that bigger and better,
(17:55):
There's no such thing as you cannot anything you set
your mind to. It is possible as long as you work,
and you only compare yourself to who you were yesterday,
not to anyone else. Remember, guys, I just want to
make sure as we continue to drop diamonds, whether it's
on or off the field, that you are feeling like
(18:17):
you are the biggest and the best, and that you
know that you are the most beautiful flower that there
possibly can be. He had a thing is eve when
we talk about comparisons. You could be the biggest, juiciest,
ripest peach in the world, and there's still going to
be someone out there that just doesn't like peaches and
that has nothing to do with you, absolutely nothing to
(18:39):
do with You go out and you find your group,
You find your niche. You go and find the people
that love peaches because you are a star in their eyes.
Why go where you're not love, Why go where you're
not felt. You go and you make the impact to
those that want to be impacted. Don't go seek out
others that have no idea your capabilities or what you
(18:59):
can do, what you can achieve. I'm gonna say that again.
You can be the biggest, ripest, juiciest peach in the world,
and there's still going to be someone out there that
doesn't like peaches and that will have nothing to do
with you. That is not your business. You move towards
those individuals that love the peaches, and you go be
celebrated and appreciated where you are and where you're supposed
(19:21):
to be. So, whether it's on or off the field,
the pressure can really and truly be something that's daunting,
the pressure to compare yourself, the pressure to be better.
But as long as I continue to stay focused on
my journey and on my path, I will be the
best I can be, and I will achieve all the
(19:41):
things that I want to achieve. Embarrassment is often the
price of entry to success. Allow yourself to feel it,
because on the other side of it is where all
the things that you want lie. Go out and be
the biggest and the brightest flower. Don't focus on any
other flower. Please just go out and bloom. You have
(20:03):
no limits to the success in this world. The only
limits you have are the ones that you placed upon yourselves.
And you are limitless. We all are limitless, and the
only thing that limits us are the comparisons. So please
go out, be limitless, feel and achieve all the limitless
things that you want to and remember. And the only
way we can do that is if we don't compare
(20:25):
ourselves to others, only to who we were yesterday. All right,
my diamond listeners. I want to keep this conversation going
because this podcast is your landing spot for all things softball,
and so we're gonna talk all things softball, but also
all things life. Because your mental and how you feel
and how you believe in yourself is really what makes
(20:46):
you a great athlete, whether it's softball or beyond. So
we're not just trying to be great softball players, We're
trying to be great and strong within our mind as well.
Make sure you visit Dropping Diamonds pod on Instagram and
leave a comment let me know your thoughts on this
episode and other episodes you want to hear on the show.
Thank you so much for listening, and remember our affirmation
that a flower doesn't worry about the next flower. It
(21:08):
just blooms. Baby, go out and bloom. I'll meet you
here next week back at the Diamonds, Bye and out.
Dropping Diamonds with Aj Andrews is an iHeart women's sports
production in partnership with Athletes Unlimited Softball League and Deep
Blue Sports and Entertainment. I'm your host, AJ Andrews. Our
(21:32):
executive producer is Jesse Katz. Tari Harrison is our supervising
producer and This episode was mixed and mastered by Mary Do.
Listen to Dropping Diamonds with AJ Andrews on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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