The only competition worthy of a wise man is with himself. – Washington Allston
Focus on competition has always been a formula for mediocrity. – Daniel Burrus
Competition is a wonderful thing. There’s no greater motivational or performance-enhancing tool. You will never give as much of yourself to preparation as you will to competing in a contest. You will stretch your body just a little more in a game than in practice. You will put up a little more weight on the bench when you’re lifting with a group of friends. You will work a little longer and exercise your brain more thoroughly when you’re put on a parallel task at work. You will turn on a little more charm with that special someone if you know someone else has an eye on them. We’re simply wired in a “survival of the fittest” mentality, and nothing gets us going faster than seeing someone that’s looking a little fitter to our side.
That kind of mentality translates to life in general, as well. Competition is the tool that keeps us from mediocrity. It’s what drives us to achieve our potential. But you need to choose the right competitor.
The only suitable competition is yourself. Your past achievements. Your demonstrated capacity. You are the only person worth outdoing.
You see a lot of people that miss that fact. They believe they’re competing with their peers, their neighbors, their friends, the people around them. These are the kids that have to have the starting slots on the team, or who’ll die if they’re not cheerleaders. These are the college students who need to act out in such as way that they’ll be seen as bigger risk takers. These are the people of all ages who have a need to own the nicest clothes, the most expensive car, the biggest salary, the biggest home or the most prestigious title.
What’s the problem with this kind of competition? It falls short in two areas:
- There’s always someone better out there. It’s a common occurance for people who were Big Fish in high school to hit college and experience depression because they’re in a larger environment and no longer the smartest/wealthiest/coolest/most athletic kid on the block. Lots of college sports stars quickly find they can’t handle pro sports because they’re not used to that level of competition. You never really succeed when you compete against those around you, because when you move to the next level, you find you’re just at the bottom rung of a taller ladder. Goal achievement is critical to motivation – no one wants to keep playing if they’re always losing.
- When you believe you’re the best, you stagnate. If you do happen to reach the pinnacles of your particular devotion, or if you choose to stay in a smaller pond so you can be the Big Fish, there’s little motivation to change. You tend to sit still and lose what advantage you have. Meanwhile, those below you are moving toward your vantage point and disdaining you for not going farther.
Competing with yourself is the only guaranteed challenge and the only path worth pursuing. When you set your past performance as the competition, you ensure that you do your best. You don’t let the headstart someone else gets discourage you from making your own play. You don’t allow yourself to plateau at the level of your peers. You don’t run out of motivation to compete, because there’s always a higher level to go to. And you put yourself in a fair contest, where you have more than a good shot at succeeding.
And most importantly, you set your own goals instead of letting other people set them for you.
Don’t you want your destiny to be your own choice?
