He’s simply Justin Bieber.

I caught this Hollywood Reporter story announcing that, “Justin Bieber Tops Michael Jackson for U.S. Box Office Crown.”

Now, I like Justin Bieber and certainly this story is newsworthy, but stories like this lead people to think that he’s on his way to being a better performer than Michael Jackson.

Justin Bieber is NO Michael Jackson and I confidently doubt he ever will come even close to achieving the success of MJ.

In late 2010, Forbes reported in its article, The Rich Afterlife of Michael Jackson, that Beyonce, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga and Madonna each raked in over $50 million, but the late, great Michael Jackson made over $275 million – more than all four artists combined! WOW!

Michael Jackson is the Richest Dead Celebrity

In addition, Forbes ranked Michael Jackson the richest dead celebrity in 2010 because Brand MJ earned more money than all of the artists on the list combined and more than any living artist or group.

Again, not to take anything away from the “Biebs,” but when he makes that kind of loot when he’s dead and buried, then maybe you’ll have an argument.

Similarly, before and throughout the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, comparisons between BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and LSU’s Pistol Pete Maravich were constantly being discussed. And, similar to my statement above, Jimmer  Fredette is no Pistol Pete Maravich.

Don’t take my word for it, read ESPN’s Rick Reilly’s story here.

The point of my Blog post is not to slam or hate on Justin or Jimmer – I like and respect them both a ton – my rant is more about people and brands being obsessed with comparisons to each other and to competitors.

You need to enjoy your own success and respect others too. And, to achieve long lasting success you can’t rest on your laurels and you should simply work hard at being better than YOU used to be – not how someone ELSE is/or used to be!

Focus your BRAND YOU efforts on improving YOU and maybe read this book too.