Disney Magical Mindset Podcast

Overcoming The Evil Queen's Trap: The Poison Called Comparison

• Ruben R. Rios • Episode 6

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The Evil Queen in Snow White teaches us a powerful lesson: comparison steals your joy, your confidence, and your ability to see your own magic. And yet, so many of us fall into this trap every day.

But here’s the good news—you don’t have to play this game.

In this episode we’re unlocking the secret to escaping comparison once and for all. You’ll discover:

  • How Walt Disney stayed focused on his vision instead of worrying about the competition.
  • Why comparing yourself makes you lose every time—and how to stop!
  • What the Evil Queen’s biggest mistake teaches us about self-sabotage.
  • THREE powerful mindset shifts to help you stay in your lane and run your own race.

Don’t forget to grab your FREE Disney Magical Mindset Guide—your personal roadmap to unlocking the magic within! [SEE BELOW]

Helping you silence the villain in your mind and become the hero of your story!

  • Instagram: @rubenriosinspires
  • Website: www.rubenrrios.com
  • Click link below for my FREE Magical Mindset Guide
    https://disney-magic-mentor.kit.com/53b916a484

Ruben :

Welcome back to the Disney Magical Mindset Podcast. I'm Ruben, your Disney Magic Mentor, and this is the place where we bring the magic of Disney into our everyday lives. I'm so glad you're here Today. We're talking about something that every dreamer struggles with at some point Comparison, the comparison game. Have you played that game before? If you've ever found yourself looking at someone else's success, someone else's talent, someone else's highlight reel or someone else's journey, and you're feeling less than I want you to know, you're not alone and this episode is for you Because here's the truth, and you probably know this already. I'm just simply here to remind you and encourage you that you are the magic. But here it is. Comparison is the thief of joy, the destroyer of confidence and the villain of your story. And if you don't believe me, just look at the evil queen.

Ruben :

The first villain to ever be featured in a full-length disney animated film is the evil queen from snow white and the Seven Dwarfs. This is a woman who had it all power, beauty, influence but none of that mattered to her, because every single day she stood in front of her mirror and asked am I the fairest of them all? She's one of my favorite Disney villains and I love bumping into her at Disneyland. Every time I'm there especially rope drop early in the morning I will always find her or she will find me. I, yeah, I wish. But you know there's just something about the evil queen. She's funny, she's got this dry sense of humor, she's quick witted, like she'll come at you. You know you got something to say. She's just got something to come back even stronger and she just is actually kind of nicer, like in person at Disneyland. The one in the animated film Ooh, she's scary.

Ruben :

But this evil queen has become one of my favorites because every time I see her I'm reminded of what not to do, I'm reminded of the dark side of comparison, and it's actually a window into my own life and story how I've struggled with comparing myself to others and how I've seen it eat away at my heart like poison. And I don't want to go down that road anymore or be part of that kingdom anymore. You know what I mean. And I don't want you to either. Because the moment that the queen, the evil queen, found out that Snow White was fairer than she was, everything changed. It wasn't enough for her to be the queen, but she had to be better or greater than Snow White.

Ruben :

Look at the power of the mind. She had it all, but it still wasn't good enough. And this is the problem with comparison it's never good enough. You constantly compare yourself to someone else, but then, when you get to that place, that other person is guess what. It's never enough. And you'll still continue to compare yourself to the point where you will poison yourself with your very own apple, thinking that if you attain to that very thing that that person has, that you're following, that, if you get it, that somehow it'll make you better or to make you feel better. But in reality, what it does is it sinks you further away from who you truly are. That's what comparison does. It warps our minds. Instead of focusing on our own gifts, our own story, our own magic, we start obsessing over what someone else has and, like the evil queen, it can consume us. She literally poisoned herself in her pursuit to outshine someone else, and you know what she lost. Every time we compare, we lose too. Stop looking at someone else's reflection in the mirror. What you see is more than enough. You have to believe that. When you look at yourself every day in the mirror, you have to believe that what you see, is more than enough. You don't have to try and be like someone else, because that's not you. Step into your story, into your magic, into your life. That is for you.

Ruben :

Now let's flip the script and look at Walt Disney. Imagine if Walt had spent his time comparing himself to other animation studios in the early days. Just imagine if he had looked at what others were doing and thought, well, maybe I should just do what's already working instead of taking a risk on my own vision. This is why Walt is so inspiring. He didn't do that. He wasn't interested in being better than anyone else. He was focused on bringing his unique vision to life. And that's what we have to understand. It's not about trying to be better than anyone else. It's trying to be the best person that you can be. You're not in competition with anyone else. If there's any competition going on, it's with you. It's that every day, you're trying to get better and becoming a better person and growing right and being better than where you were yesterday. That's the competition.

Ruben :

Remember what Walt said the way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. He didn't waste time looking left and right to see what others were doing. He stayed in his lane. He built what only he could build, and that's the thing. It's what you can do, not what someone else can do. You have something unique. You have a gift that you bring to this world that no one else can do. Walt's not trying to do other things that other people are doing. He knows his gift, he knows his lane and he's going to stay in it and he's going to work it because he believes in what he has to offer.

Ruben :

Think about Disneyland for a moment, my favorite place. I wish I was there right now. Back in 1955, amusement parks already existed. He could have tried to compete by making just another carnival style park, but he didn't. In fact, his wife was questioning what he was trying to do and she was like why do you want to build another amusement park? And he's like listen, I'm not going to do the same thing that you've seen, right? He created something entirely different, an immersive world where guests could feel the magic. He wasn't playing the comparison game. He was creating his own game. Go ahead, walt, show us how it's done.

Ruben :

What if Walt just listen to this? What if he had let comparison stop him? Just imagine for one moment. What if he looked at other studios and thought I'll never measure up, I'll never be good enough, it will never happen. Just imagine how much magic the world would have missed out on if Walt lived his life comparing himself to others.

Ruben :

If Walt lived his life catering to the critics. I need you to hear this Everyone will always have an opinion of you. It is so much easier to critique than it is to create. You will have people who will always have something to say. So stop giving in to those people who don't even really care anyway. Right, not everyone is going to be happy for you. You're going to have your doubters, you're going to have your haters, and when you spend your time and energy wasting it on people who will tell you one thing and then turn around and tell you something else, you're missing out on the magic that you have to offer this world. Just like Walt, if he would have catered to his critics and allowed comparison to stop him, we wouldn't have what we all love and enjoy today Disneyland and all the Disney parks that come after it.

Ruben :

And I want you to know that you have so much magic to offer and I don't want you to get lost in the comparison trap and then we miss out we meaning me and all those around you on what you have to offer, on the magic that you have to share. My dear friends, if you're caught up please hear me, I say this from the heart If you're caught up in comparison, you're missing out on creating the magic only you can bring into the world. You. You are special, you are worth something, you are valuable and what you have to offer is so beautiful, but you have to believe it. You have to believe it. So how do we break free from the comparison trap? Well, here are three mindset shifts to help you, three magical mindset shifts to help you and me break free from comparing ourselves to others.

Ruben :

Number one recognize your own magic. You will hear me say this all the time, whether it's on social media or in this podcast. I will often sign off by saying this you are the magic, because the magic is in you. I'm not just saying it just to say it, just to fluff you up. I'm saying it because I really believe that you are the magic and everything you're looking for to be magical. It's in you, right? I've said this before. The pixie dust needed to fly to Neverland is already within us, right? We just have to believe that we have it in us. And this is probably the hardest leap that you will have to make Believing that the magic is in you.

Ruben :

Yes, it's in the people you follow. Yes, it's in Walt Disney. Yes, it's in the things that we love and we admire and we're inspired by, but it's also in you. You are one of a kind, and no one else can bring what you bring to the table. No one else can build a magic kingdom like you can build it. Yes, I love Walt and I love going to Disneyland and I love being in the happiest place on earth. But I want you to know that you don't have to go to a Disney park to actually believe that you have the magic to create your own Disney park. See, that's the thing that we have to stop giving into, believing that we have to go somewhere to get something because we have it in us. And the moment you just start believing that, I'm telling you, is the moment that you begin to experience the magic that I believe Walt wanted us to experience.

Ruben :

Number two here's the second thing we have to do If we're going to break free from comparison. Here's a second mindset shift. Stay in your lane. Do you hear me, lightning McQueen? Stay in your lane and stop trying to go to someone else's lane. You have to stay in your lane. Early on, lightning McQueen was so obsessed with proving he was the best that he lost his way around the track. And you know what proving he was the best that he lost his way around the track. And you know what you know you're winning in the race of life when you're not threatened by others' success. You don't lose when others succeed. You win when you focus on your own race, like staying in your own lane but then doing everything you can to help one another along the way. That's why I love doing.

Ruben :

What I do in this Disney community is I want to be helpful, I want to help others, I want to be encouraging and inspiring and motivating, because I've also learned from personal experience that when I compare myself to others, I've moved lanes and I'm not really confident in who I am, in what I have to offer. It's really, it's so revealing that when I compare myself to someone else, what I'm really saying is I'm not confident in who Ruben is. I don't believe enough in Ruben, so I have to compare myself to somehow feel that if I'm like them, then maybe I will be good or I will be better, I'll be good enough. Do you hear what I'm saying? You know, sometimes we place such a high premium on what other people think of us or what other people say we are. But that's wrong, right. If you live by people's praise, you will die by their criticism.

Ruben :

You cannot base your worth on social media hearts and likes. Do you hear me? My friends and many of you have social media accounts and I know this is the temptation sometimes to believe that my value or worth is based on the hearts and the likes and the views and all that stuff. And it's great, I want that, I would love that affirmation. But if I base my life on that and compare my self-worth to that, then what happens when I don't get those likes, I don't get those views? I could tell you what happens. You get discouraged, depressed, start thinking about shutting down your account, start wondering about if you can even do this right, like all these negative, toxic thoughts start entering your mind. But if you stay in your lane and stop believing in the lie that you are what other people say you are or who you are, then guess what? You're almost there, crossing the finish line, ready for something great. Crossing the finish line, ready for something great.

Ruben :

Number three the last mindset shift I want to share with you is to remember that comparison poisons progress. The evil queen is proof of that. Every time you compare, you're drinking poison and expecting it to make you better, but it only holds you back. So, instead of focusing on who's ahead, focus on your own growth. Remember, you're not competing with anyone else, but you. Where do you want to be tomorrow? Where do you want to be in 10 years from now? Where do you want to be by the end of this year? That's what you have to focus on your growth, your victory, your magic, your story. This is your dream. And if you're too busy comparing yourself to others, it will stunt your progress, because every time you think you're getting ahead, you're really not, because you're trying to get ahead based on whoever you think is ahead of you. So every time you see the evil queen, or you watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, or you see her roaming around Fantasyland, I want you to remember that comparison poisons progress. Look at what happens to the evil queen. It's nice to see her and all, but her story has a tragic ending. But that's not your story, my friends, because your story is the happily ever after.

Ruben :

Your story is continuing to be written right now and I'm telling you it's a book that's worthy to read. It's a story that is filled, yes, with its ups and its downs, and with its hardships and with its obstacles, but it's those things that make us stronger and make the story worth reading. Just keep pressing forward, keep being you, and good things will come. You don't have to be the fairest of them all. You just have to be the best version of Y-O-U you.

Ruben :

Here's my magical challenge for you this week Every time you catch yourself comparing because it will happen. It will happen to me. Here's what you're going to do. We're going to do this. Shift your focus back to your own magic, all the things that we've discussed today, the magic that is within you, that I will keep encouraging you with that. You are the magic. Every time you have that rogue comparing thought, shift it, drop it, axe it, smack it and think back to your own magic. Remind yourself Walt didn't compare, he created. That's the goal, that's where we're going and the magic you bring to this world. Remember, no one else can bring it like you. Thank you so much for joining me. I hope this has been helpful. If you enjoyed today's journey, please subscribe and share this podcast with your fellow Disney dreamers, and don't forget to follow me on Instagram for more magical inspiration. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep believing and remember you are the magic, because the magic is in you.