No one can compete with you on being you...
This article is inspired by Naval Ravikants "Escape competition through authenticity quote." In life it's easy to get caught up and compete over things that aren't really important to you.
Happy new week!
Oftentimes we get caught up in status games and compete over things that don’t really matter to us. It’s easy to copy everyone around us and even take their desires as ours. If everyone around you is an entrepreneur, you might also feel the need to be an entrepreneur, when in reality that might not be who you are or what you’re destined for.
It is important to search deeply and truly understand who you are, what’s important to you, and what type of life you want to live. You have to be careful when you get caught up in status games. You end up competing over things that aren’t worth competing over. When you compete with others you are judging yourself on their metrics and values, not yours, so even if you’re supposedly doing better than them, that’s based on what’s important to them and not you.
“If you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Einstein
Have you ever been chasing a goal and got frustrated that it’s not working for you like it’s working for everyone else?
I remember growing up wanting to be an investment banker because that’s what everyone around me was working towards. That was a goal I was stuck on and really working towards. I got rejected quite a bit and it was very disheartening. When I came across marketing, a field that complements my natural skills and competencies, things started working together much smoother. There really is no traffic when you’re in your own lane.
“Escape competition through authenticity.” Naval Ravikant
Your value add is being your authentic self. No one can compete with you in being you. If you are building and marketing something that’s an extension of who you are, no one can compete with you. People buy into you for being your true authentic self. Naval says, “If you want to be rewarded, you have to be irreplaceable. If you want to be irreplaceable, you have to be unique. If you want to be unique, you have to be authentic”. If you want to be authentic, stop listening to everyone and everything else. It’s drowning “you” out.
The only person you should be competing with is yourself. Matthew McConaughey made a great point in his Oscars acceptance speech. He says, “Every day, every week, every month, and every year of my life, my hero is always 10 years away.” The only person he’s competing with is himself 10 years from now. The most important part of competing against yourself is the ability to set your own values and metrics. You choose the goals that fit you best.
Don’t let the world tell you who you are and what you should be doing. Decide for yourself. You’ll feel more at peace, more productive, and have a better sense of well-being. Don’t fall victim to competing with others who have different life goals, values, and timelines to you.