Martha Graham on the Hidden Danger of Comparing Yourself to Others

Keep your eyes on your own paper. Every single one of us is unique. Bring that uniqueness to life.

Your concern is to do the work, your work, not to judge it. Your concern is to fall in love with the process, your process, not to grade the outcome.

We are often terrible judges of our own work. It is not your job to tell yourself, “No.”Instead, your responsibility is to create. Your job is share what you have to offer from where you are right now. To quote Pema Chodron, the Buddhist teacher, your job is to “come as you are.”

This is what Martha Graham, one of the most prolific choreographers of all time told Agnes de Mille, when she asked why she was not being perceived as great as she thought she was.