A few weeks ago, a friend of mine completed an impressive 80 km race through the Italian Alps in just 18 hours. It’s an achievement that I find simply extraordinary. In contrast, I managed to run four one-minute intervals during my physiotherapy session this week as part of my recovery from long covid. That seems insignificant in comparison, doesn’t it? But this was a 100% improvement from my previous session, which counts as a big victory for me.

Academia is known to be a competitive environment. At conferences, on social media platforms like LinkedIn, and in the corridors, you’ll frequently encounter colleagues sharing their latest publications, grant awards, or research successes. Hearing or reading this as a PhD student or postdoc can feel overwhelming, discouraging, and can awaken your imposter syndrome.

That’s why it’s important to remember that the most important competition shouldn’t be with your peers – it should be with yourself. As illustrated by comparing my own recovery with the story of my friend running 80 km with a total elevation gain of 4,600 m (I know, crazy!), progress is relative and personal growth is what truly matters.

There are many reasons why you shouldn’t compare your PhD or postdoc journey with someone else’s:

• Each research project is unique: your work has its own challenges and specifics, and your results are also dependent on how instruments or collaborators perform.
• Resources differ widely: funding and infrastructure vary between researchers.
• All supervisors come with different features: some will be very supportive and fast in their feedback, others will take much more time.
• Personal circumstances vary between PhD students: health issues, family responsibilities, a pandemic, or other life events can influence your journey.

Think about your own research journey for a moment. How many unique challenges have you faced that others might not even be aware of? How many small victories have you celebrated in silence – like eventually seeing the chromatographic peaks you were expecting or writing a successful code?

So, how can you shift your focus to improving yourself and acknowledging your own progress rather than being impacted by other people’s achievements?

• Set personal, realistic benchmarks: regularly assess your skills, knowledge, and achievements in a qualitative and quantitative way. Use these as starting points for future growth.
• Celebrate small wins: did your experiments go well? Did you submit a paper? Did you receive compliments on your poster or presentation at a conference? Be proud of yourself and notice these accomplishments.
• Keep a progress journal: record your journey in a written format, including challenges you faced and lessons learned. Seeing things written on paper (or on your laptop) can help you notice your growth over time.
• Define success for yourself: what does academic success mean to you? Is it publishing a lot of articles? Supervising and mentoring students? Having an adequate work-life balance? Align your goals with your values, not with your peers.
• Ask for constructive feedback: feedback from your supervisors can both help you identify areas for improvement and recognize your strengths.
• Use social media wisely: platforms like LinkedIn can be very valuable for networking but remember that people tend to share only their best moments. Plan sufficient offline moments to support your well-being.
• Practice self-awareness: when you catch yourself making comparisons with colleagues, pause and redirect your thoughts to your personal progress (by going through your progress journal, for example).
• Focus on collaboration: view your peers as potential collaborators rather than competitors. That’s sometimes an aspect overlooked by PhD students: groundbreaking research with societal impact often comes from teamwork. Your colleagues may also help you with suggestions for your project or ideas on how to troubleshoot your instrument or experiments.
• Remember your motivation: there’s a reason why you chose a PhD and a scientific career. Reconnect with your passion for science and your curiosity. This is what should feed your progress, not the validation from your peers.

As you navigate your academic journey, remember that a career path is never straightforward or uniform. Your journey is unique, with its own challenges and milestones, and depends on many external factors over which you don’t have much control. By focusing on your personal growth and celebrating each step forward – no matter how small it may seem – you’ll not only find more satisfaction in your work but also build the resilience needed to thrive in the competitive world of academia.

The next time you come across someone celebrating a major win on your LinkedIn feed, pause and ask yourself: ‘How have I grown since last month or last year?’. That’s the comparison that truly matters.

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