Do you want to know how to win every competition? You’re about to discover the secret.
In this edition of Level Up, we’re diving into the power of competition and how it holds the key to unlocking your fullest potential.
True success doesn’t come from outpacing others—it comes from outpacing yourself. By mastering the game of self-improvement, you can grow, thrive, and win every day.
Let’s explore how you can shift your focus from external comparisons to internal growth and take your performance to the next level.
Here's what's in today's edition of Level Up:
- The best way to compete - it's not what you think
- Why competition is valuableThe best way to compete with others
- How to use competition as a way to measure progressYour Weekly Coaching Challenge
Competing with Yourself: The Key to Unlocking True Success
As high-achieving entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves trapped in a cycle of constant comparison. But what if the secret to extraordinary success lies not in outpacing others but in surpassing yourself?
The Problem with External Competition
When we focus solely on beating our competitors, we:
- Risk burnout from an endless race with a moving finish line
- Lose sight of our unique path and potential
- Make decisions based on fear rather than authentic growth
- Pursue goals misaligned with our true aspirations
The Power of Self-Competition
By shifting your focus to competing with yourself, you:
- Regain control over your journey
- Set standards based on personal growth, not external validation
- Experience genuine fulfillment and sustainable progress
How to Compete with Yourself
- Set Your Personal Best: Define what "your best" looks like based on your strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations.
- Track Your Progress Daily: Measure your growth against yesterday's performance, not others' achievements.
- Celebrate Your Wins: Acknowledge every improvement, no matter how small. It will help you stay motivated.
- Embrace Challenges: Push beyond your comfort zone to unlock new levels of capability.
- Reflect and Recommit: Regularly assess your journey and realign your goals.
The Payoff
By competing with yourself, you'll experience:
- Genuine personal growth and fulfillment
- Increased confidence and resilience
- Success aligned with your values
- Sustainable, long-term progress
The actual race is with the person you were yesterday. Start competing with yourself; you'll be amazed at how far you'll go.
Quick Hits
Why Competition With Others Is Important
While the first person to compete with is yourself, there is value in competing with others. Healthy competition:
- Increases motivation
- Fosters learning and collaboration
- Builds resilience and perseverance
Embrace competition with others as a way for both competitors to grow. Stay away from judgment of your performance and comparison to others.
How to Compete With Others in a Productive Way
The word competition comes from the Latin word competere, which means to strive together. While the best competition is with yourself, there is a way to leverage competition with others to ensure you both win.
The key is to compete, not to compare. View your fellow competitor as a sparring partner, not a rival.
Focus on the Gain, Not the Gap
Whether you are competing with yourself or others, it's important that you measure progress. And how you measure progress is critical. Too many people focus on whether they win or lose. Or, they focus on how far they still have to go, not how far they've come.
In their book The Gap & the Gain, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy say "Most people, especially highly ambitious people, are unhappy because of how they measure their progress. We all have an "ideal," a moving target that is always out of reach."
In the book they argue that it is far more important to take stock of how far you've come, rather than how far you still have to go.
Quote of the Week
"Look in the mirror. That's your competition." - Eric Thomas
Your Level Up Challenge of the Week
Competition can be a powerful driver for personal and professional growth. The biggest benefits come when you compete against yourself.
Here’s your challenge:
- Reflect on one area of your life where you’ve been comparing yourself to others.
- Determine your baseline in that area.
- Identify one small action that pushes you beyond your current limits—not by outpacing someone else, but by improving your performance.
- Commit to that action. Write it down, and take that step.
- Tracking your growth, and remember
Here's to leveling up and playing a bigger game,