Your greatest competitor
We are naturally taught that life is a competition. The strongest, the fastest or the smartest win. Soon enough we start to measure everything we do, and define it in terms of how it relates to others. So and so always gets 1st place in class, X always gets the most beautiful girl or handsome boy, Y has more money than me, Celebrity C has the most followers. The competition becomes against everyone else, and about what everyone else is doing. True some competition with others is good and helps give us markers to gauge how well we’re doing, as well as challenge us to step things up. However this can become an unhealthy practice when it becomes an obsession, causing us to put all focus on others, breeding jealousy, developing unhealthy comparisons and expectations that lead to a depressed state of mind or negative thinking. Everyone didn’t start at the same time as you did, neither is their path the same as yours. I don’t think that’s where the real focus should be.
Better version of you
Respectfully, I put it to you that your greatest competitor is you. As great as others might be, you do yourself a disservice in focusing solely on all the great others out there. As hard as you try you can’t be them, neither should you be. You were created to be you, the best version of you. So if right now you’re unhappy with yourself, things around you and you know you can do better, compete with yourself to become a better version. Version 2.0, or even 30.0. On this earth there’s always room for improvement, no matter how upgraded you are, or think you are.
Self Declaration
So I’ve left the words blank for you to fill. For me, yesterday I was trying hard to be resilient in the face of uncertainty. Today I am stronger, and will be stronger still until I get the certainty and clarity I need.
What were you yesterday, and what will you be tomorrow? Declare it confidently, throw it out to the universe and speak it by faith. Then do the same the following day, and the day after, as step by step you work on a better version of your greatest competitor – you.
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Really true. Good reminder Uju. Well done.