Life Isn't A Competition

We've all been raised to see all aspects of life as a competition, right from the home to the school. We've competed for our parents’ attention; we've competed for the first position in school, and in several other areas.

But the truth is, life isn't a competition. There'll always be someone better than you at something. There'll always be someone smarter, richer, more handsome, more beautiful, taller, fairer, someone that has a more pointed nose, sexier legs, ripped body... and the list goes on. There’ll always be Facebook friends of yours who, as you keep scrolling up in Candy Crush, you'll keep seeing way up there.

You keep hearing. Your mates are all married, your mates now have kids, your mates have all graduated, your mates have gotten good jobs, built houses and now drive good cars, your mates have done this, your mates have done that...

You always hear, 'Life is a race, the first person to get to the finish line wins it all', but in reality, life isn't a race with anyone. There are no first positions or second positions or last positions in real life. There are no medals to be awarded at the end of the race of life, for first or second of anything.

If life is a race, then there's only you on the track, only you in the whole field... your own field, then there's someone else on their own track and another on their own track too, on their own respective fields. You don't judge your success by how farther you went on your field as compared to the other guy.

I choose to adopt the legendary John Wooden's definition of success, which is: 'Peace of mind attained only through the self-satisfaction of knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable. Trying to improve the situation you met'.

That is success.

Don't try to feel bad or sorry for yourself because someone else is doing something, or achieving something that you currently aren't. We all have our race tracks lined out for us, and those race tracks are not identical. Making comparisons with someone else's life does not even apply.

Life is not a competition with anyone else, friends. If life ever becomes a competition, isn't it better to compete with the person you were yesterday; last week, last month, last year? Seeing that this is the only comparison of which you can make without bias?

You have your track lined up before you, and you have the only ever valuable resource there is, which is Time, in limited amount. Don't use up any of it comparing yourself with anyone else.

As long as you're like John Wooden's success, having that self-satisfaction of knowing that you did the best of which you're capable. As long as you keep improving on your current situation. As long as you keep achieving your goals no matter how slow your pace is, gentlemen and ladies, the sky's the limit... you are a success. You are the first. You’ve won the race.

Thanks for reading this blog post.