Be All They Can Be?

“Stop looking to the competition…let the competition worry about you.”
― W. Chan Kim

Be All They Can Be?

A talk show host was asked during an interview if they ever worried about the competition.  The answer came in a story:

The host had always had a dream of running in a marathon, so they trained for two years to get ready, and finished their first marathon.  For them, competition was like that marathon: as long as they were hitting their stride with their personal goal in clear focus, there was no time to consider the competition. They added that just turning their head to see how close competing runners were was enough to rob their energy needed to win–or even finish– the race.

With this in mind, think about the U.S. Army recruiting slogan: “Be all that you can be!” Note that it doesn’t say, “Be all that they can be!” Even when your competition has a recognizable face, why would you want to be them? If you want to improve yourself, speed up your achievements, or earn more money, why not just better your own time? Comparing yourself to others is a waste of precious time and energy.

Don’t look around you as you’re running (or jogging) towards your goal!  Keep your mind on every one of your steps, and not the steps of others. After all, you want to be all that you can be.