When we think of competition, we often picture a battle to outdo others, reach the top, or win the prize. External competition can spark motivation, but the most important and transformative competition is competing with yourself.
Greatness doesn’t come from outpacing others. It comes from striving every day to become the best version of you–the person you are capable of becoming. The real challenge isn’t beating the person next to you—it’s pushing your limits, achieving your personal best, and consistently raising the bar for what you can accomplish.
A Life Defined by External Competition
High-achievers—especially entrepreneurs and business owners—often find themselves trapped in constant comparison. Success becomes defined by how you measure up to others, whether it’s competitors, peers, or industry leaders. You strive to outdo them, collect accolades, and reach the next milestone, all while feeling the pressure to stay ahead.
But no matter how much you achieve, that nagging sense of dissatisfaction doesn’t go away. You’re in an endless race where the finish line keeps moving. The standards of success are constantly shifting, controlled by external forces outside your control. As a result, you might feel anxiety, burnout, or frustration. You push yourself harder and harder, yet it never feels like enough.
The problem is that focusing on external competition robs you of true fulfillment. You become so consumed with how you compare to others that you lose sight of your own unique path and potential. Instead of experiencing the joy of personal growth, you’re driven by fear—fear of falling behind, missing out, or being seen as less successful.
This endless cycle can lead to diminished creativity, a lack of motivation, and a sense of stagnation. You may even end up pursuing goals that aren’t aligned with your true aspirations, all in a bid to keep up with the expectations of others. It’s a race that leaves you exhausted, unfulfilled, and disconnected from what truly matters to you.
Competing with Yourself for Authentic Progress
The way to break free from this trap is to shift your focus from competing with others to competing with yourself. By doing so, you regain control over your journey and set your own standards for success. Instead of being driven by external validation, you base your growth on your internal progress.
Here’s how you can make this powerful shift:
1. Set Your Personal Best
Start by defining what “your best” looks like. Instead of comparing yourself to others, take the time to assess your current strengths and weaknesses. Reflect on your achievements, but also identify where you see room for growth. The goal is to focus on what matters to you, not what others are doing.
From there, set specific personal goals that challenge you to push beyond your current limits–to beat your best. Whether it’s improving a skill, reaching a milestone in your business, or making a lifestyle change, make sure your goals reflect your own values and aspirations.
2. Track Your Progress Daily
Create a habit of tracking your progress. Instead of measuring yourself against the achievements of others, measure your growth against where you were yesterday. Pick the method that resonates with you. Whether it’s through a daily journal, weekly reflections, or tracking metrics related to your goals, consistency is key.
By focusing on your progress, you’ll notice the small wins that build up over time. These incremental improvements help you stay motivated and remind you that growth is happening, even if it feels slow at times.
3. Celebrate Your Wins
One of the biggest challenges of self-competition is the lack of immediate external rewards, like recognition or praise. To stay motivated, celebrate your own victories—no matter how small. Each improvement, whether it’s a new skill learned, a goal achieved, or a habit built, represents progress toward becoming the best version of yourself.
It's crucial to acknowledge and celebrate your victories, no matter how small. Each improvement, whether it's a new skill learned, a goal achieved, or a habit built, represents progress toward becoming the best version of yourself. This self-recognition reinforces the idea that you are moving in the right direction, even if the path doesn’t always involve grand, external accolades.
4. Embrace Challenges and Discomfort
Growth happens at the edge of your comfort zone. To truly compete with yourself, you need to push beyond what feels safe and familiar. Embrace the discomfort that comes with challenging yourself to do more, be more, and achieve more.
That doesn’t mean diving into overwhelming tasks right away. Start by identifying small, manageable challenges that stretch your abilities. Over time, as you gain confidence and experience, you’ll find that you’re capable of handling bigger and more ambitious challenges
5. Reflect and Recommit
Periodically take time to reflect on your journey. Assess how far you’ve come, what you’ve learned, and where you want to go next. Reflection allows you to celebrate your progress while also identifying areas for improvement. This introspection is a key part of the process, helping you to recommit to your goals and continue your journey of self-competition.
Then, recommit to your goals. Remember that the competition isn’t with anyone else—it’s with the person you were yesterday. By focusing on your own growth, you’ll continue raising the bar for what you can achieve.
The High Cost of External Comparison
As an elite performer, you've built your success on outpacing the competition. But the consequences can be severe when that external focus becomes your sole metric. Consider what's truly at risk:
- Performance Plateau and Burnout: The relentless drive to surpass others can lead to diminishing returns and eventual burnout. Even as you climb higher, satisfaction remains elusive – there's always another competitor, another benchmark. No matter how much you achieve, it will never feel like enough.
- Lack of Personal Growth: Fixating on external targets limits your vision. External competition limits your potential by keeping you focused on others’ achievements. You miss out on opportunities for genuine self-improvement. True breakthroughs often come from pushing personal boundaries, not just matching industry standards.
- Eroded Confidence and Decision Making: Constant comparison creates a cycle of self-doubt. You’ll always feel like you’re falling short, even if you’re doing well by your own standards. This subtle erosion of self-trust can impact your leadership presence and strategic decision-making capabilities.
- Sacrificed Long-Term Vision and Missed Opportunities: The pursuit of short-term wins to stay "ahead" can blind you to deeper, more fulfilling achievements. You may find yourself optimizing for metrics that don't align with your core values or long-term legacy. You risk missing out on the deep satisfaction that comes from achieving personal milestones and pushing your own limits.
Remember, the most formidable opponent – and the one with the greatest potential to unlock your next level of success – is the person you were yesterday. It's time to recalibrate your competitive drive for maximum impact.
What You Stand to Gain by Competing with Yourself
If you shift your focus and start competing with yourself, here’s what your life could look like:
- Personal Growth and Fulfillment: By focusing on self-improvement, you’ll experience genuine growth and take pride in your progress.
- Increased Confidence and Resilience: Competing with yourself builds inner confidence, knowing that you’re in control of your journey.
- Aligned Success: Your goals will reflect your values, ensuring that the success you achieve is meaningful and authentic.
- Sustainable Growth: Self-competition creates a foundation for long-term progress, allowing you to continuously raise the bar for what you can achieve.
- Authentic Fulfillment: By pursuing personal growth, you’ll find a more profound sense of purpose, pride, and joy in everything you do.
How to Level Up
Competition can be a powerful driver for personal and professional growth. The biggest benefits come when you compete against yourself.
Here's your level up challenge:
- Take just five minutes today to reflect on one area of your life where you’ve been comparing yourself to others.
- Now, determine your baseline.
- Next, identify one small action that pushes you beyond your current limits—not by outpacing someone else, but by improving your own performance.
- Commit to this action. Write it down, and take that step.
- Start tracking your personal growth, and remember: The real race is with the person you were yesterday.
Take this first step, and start competing with your current self to become the best version of yourself. You’ll look up one day to see how far you’ve come, and you’ll realize you’ve outpaced those you used to compete against.