Superiority, Inferiority, and the One Thing That Levels Us All: Time

Inferiority doesn’t begin in the workplace.

It’s built layer by layer—through childhood setbacks, social comparisons, health conditions, environmental gaps, emotional scars.

Some people are born into poverty. Some with health conditions that make even breathing feel like effort. Some with a body that doesn’t match society’s "norms"—too thin, too short, too dark, too frail.

And others, even without those disadvantages, are simply taught by experience to believe they can’t win. Maybe they’ve lost too many races. Maybe they’ve never stood first. Maybe they’ve tried, and tried, and tried—and still feel invisible.

That’s the root of the Inferiority Complex: not lack of skill, but the belief and experiences that we never had a chance.

Superior Complex? That’s Real Too.

We rarely talk about it, but the opposite—a sense of superiority—can be just as limiting.

Maybe you were born into a rich family. You’ve always been healthy. You’ve always been told you’re smart, attractive, gifted.

But even that can trap you. It tells you: "You’ll always win.""You don’t need to hustle.""You were born for this."

Until suddenly—you don’t win.Or worse, the world moves on, and your advantages… no longer matter.

Both inferiority and superiority are illusions when detached from time. It means you’re only inferior or superior at a given time. It's not permanent otherwise and change can happen.

So What’s the Level Playing Field?

Time.

No one can give you more of it. No one can steal yours. It’s the only truly equal resource we’re all granted—day by day, hour by hour.

You may not have the skills. You may not have the perfect body or background. You may not have the confidence or connections.

But you have time.And how you spend it is the real differentiator.

And Then There Are the “Geniuses”, “Celebrities”, “Athletes”, so on..

We all know them: the Elon Musks, the Einsteins, the Stephen Hawkings.They make us feel small—not because they try to, but because they represent a level we think we can never reach.

They solve huge problems.They change the world.They innovate on first principles.And it's tempting to think to feel defeated and inferior in comparison.

But here’s the key insight:

Throw something beyond even their known realm—like climate change, poverty, income inequality—and even they will struggle. Because those are the unknown unknowns.Problems too vast, too chaotic, and too big even for them!

They are solving the problems they chose. The problems they’re capable of.

You do the same. Find problems in your sphere—your life, your team, your local world. Use your time to solve them. Solve them well. That’s your greatness.

The Only Real Comparison: You vs. Your Own Yesterday

Don’t compare yourself to someone else’s talent, upbringing, or outcomes.

Compare yourself to your past use of time.

• Did you use today better than yesterday?

• Did you avoid procrastination a little more?

• Did you show up, despite the fear, one more time than before?

That’s your true competition.

You Are Not Inferior. You Are Just Early.

If you feel behind, underqualified, or doubted, know this:

You are not inferior. You are just early in your journey.

You don’t need genius. You don’t need perfection. You just need to use the time you have, again and again, to solve what matters around you.

Because every time you try, you build momentum.And every time you give up because someone else is “better,” you abandon your own unique story.

Solve your problems. With your tools. With your timeline.

That’s how legends are built.

Read this for a connecting perspective on past , future and our distortions our mind plays.