I’ve never liked the idea of competition, but we live in a world that basically pits us against each other every day. When we compete we disconnect from each other in the name of believing that we are better than each other. The truth is we both have flaws, and we could better balance ourselves out if we actually worked together. I don’t need to watch people lose an imaginary game just, so I can make myself feel happy. I don’t need to dominate someone else to make myself feel worthy.

Where does that start? My guess is school. There’s fierce competition between the high achievers to get the best grades. This starts at a pretty early age. I was one of those kids, competing with my friends to get the best marks. If it’s not schooling, it’s something else. It’s wondering if you look better than someone. If you are earning as much as the next man. Wondering how big your house is compared to someone else. It doesn’t help that other people like parents and teachers are also making those comparisons about you.

Stop the Competition

Sometimes we have to compete. It’s inevitable in our culture. Just look at the times like when you applied for a job. Only one person is going to get it, so you have to make sure you’re the best candidate. However, there are plenty of instances where we make up our own rules that say we have to compete with others to own our success.

The truth is everyone is on their own path. We will do and have what is right for us at the right time. There are so many variables to even compare, but we really just look at the surface level and automatically believe that we are not enough. Comparing does nothing, but bring unnecessary stress.

Stop Competing Against Yourself

Competing with yourself is just as bad as competing with others. For some reason, we are supposed to be seen as these perfect beings when that is far from the truth. It’s as though we can’t admit our faults. The entire purpose in life is to learn how to be the best you, with an emphasis on learning. Just like you’re not supporting others when you compete against others, you’re not supporting yourself when you don’t celebrate your uniqueness when you compare yourself to what you deem to be perfect. There will never be a day when you become faultless, so stop waiting for that day. Spend your day trying to find out how you can be a better you.

Maybe people fill this way due to the lack of self-love. The idea that you are not enough. You can be enough and be a work in progress at the same time. You can be abundant and feel the need to improve. You shouldn’t put yourself down because you are not where you think you should be. Your journey in life should be a journey of self-discovery, not self-improvement. There’s no book for this. You have to be curious about yourself. You don’t need someone else to do it.