I have come to realize that in this life , there will always be people doing better than you In things ,people you are doing better than, and people on the same level as you, whether you like it or not, we are constantly surrounded by some form of competition.
I remember back in secondary school, there was this quiz competition we used to do between classes every Friday, At first, it was just for fun, Everybody would cheer, clap, and even laugh when someone got a question wrong. But little by littlel, it turned serious matter , students started beefing each other , Some students that used to be close before, just stopped talking to one another because of who won the last quiz, that’s when I first understood that competition can either build or break people.
Looking back now, I believe competition in itself is not a bad thing , in fact, it can push you to grow ,I mean, if you see someone doing something well, you can be inspired to do better too ,but the wahala starts when you begin to feel bitter instead of being motivated ,When you start comparing your journey to someone else’s own too much, it can just mess up with your head.
For me, I have seen both sides of it, there was a time I used to see my friends posting their achievements online new job, new phone, new trip, and I will just sit there feeling like I am not doing enough, at that point, it was not even competition again, it was pressure , and pressure is not motivation, it is stress.
So over time, I started telling myself the truth, everybody is always on their own lane so if you start racing with another person, you can miss your path, Now, I try to compete with the person I was yesterday, That one is even hard enough on its own.
But don’t get me wrong, I still believe competition can be healthy , like here on Hive, seeing people post and engage well pushes me to be more active, if someone writes a really good piece, I don’t see it as a threat, Instead, I read, learn, and clap for them, I just applaud them and learn as I grow too, that is how it should be.
You know that competition becomes toxic when you start acting like life is a race, You know that feeling where you start to see others as obstacles , instead of fellow humans? That one is not competition, it is just destruction, You start to gossip, downplay people’s efforts, or even copy blindly just to want to outshine , At that point, you are not even improving, you are just disturbing yourself.
So now, I just try to keep things balanced, If I see someone doing something great, I will cheer them , I might even message them and ask questions, you get? I have learned that supporting other people does not reduce your shine at all instead, it keeps your heart clean you get?
And when I notice that I am starting to feel too pressured or jealous, I just log off, breathe, and remind myself that nobody gets it perfect at all , everybody is just trying.
So yes, I believe in healthy competition, Compete, but don’t drag yourself , Let it motivate you, not destroy you. Be happy for others, while still chasing your own goals.
And if you ever feel like you’re not doing enough, just remember that all of us are trying to figure life out.Do not run another person's race, Your time will come.
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