Enjoy competition. It exists to motivate you.

[CreamCat]

After I woke up from sleep, I realized that without competition, I would not be motivated to push harder.

If I was a caveman in the stone age, I would not be motivated to pursue excellence in a field.

For example, a caveman may doodle here and there, but he doesn't really know what's possible with visual art. It doesn't compute for him.

An isolated hobbyist swimmer in the stone age doesn't know what it means to swim well at olympian levels.

Excellence is not even a concept in the absence of competition.

Group intelligence enables individual intelligence.

Edited November 23, 2019 by CreamCat

[K VIL]

Don't get me wrong, I love friendly competition. (especially when i win)

It's harder to enjoy competition when its involuntary! Even if i achieve great levels, to think of anything as my competition, i jump into defense.

so next time ill try and keep my mind open to the idea that competition can show me possibility. 

Thanks creamcat

Edited November 23, 2019 by K VIL

[Aeris]

I m anti rivalry at a mind level because that is the only way human race stop being a pure disease.

Coopération is sharing data and energy for greater goal than one self.

On a émotionnal level I still get a rush from feeling better. But that's cloud of the past.

Better harder improved. All that is illusion. Things are différents.

There is 'I m better' an illusion of the mind

Edited November 23, 2019 by Aeris

[JustThinkingAloud]

The only competition I believe in is competition with my old self and even then I prefer enjoyment as we usually get better on our own just through repetition. Enjoyment makes the improvement faster.

[Christian]

I think it is wise to compare yourself to yourself exclusively. You cannot control how successful other people are within a particular field and comparing yourself to others will lead to you seeing the world through an inferior/superior paradigm. Since there is always going to be someone better than you, you will always end up feeling inferior to some extend. 
It is more beneficial, and emotionally diffucult, to just focus on improving yourself. 
If you have not already, I suggest that you watch the video titled “How to stop comparing yourself to others” by Leo to get a better understanding of why comparing yourself to others is unfair, biased and adds minimal value to your life. 

[CreamCat]

@Christian But, if you do not acquaint yourself with others' work, you cannot know what is possible.

Can a caveman know what's possible as a 100m runner without seeing usain bolt?

Can a hobbyist swimmer know what's possible as a swimmer without seeing olympians?

Possibilities exist to motivate us.

Edited November 25, 2019 by CreamCat

[Consept]

2 hours ago, CreamCat said:

@Christian But, if you do not acquaint yourself with others' work, you cannot know what is possible.

Can a caveman know what's possible as a 100m runner without seeing usain bolt?

Can a hobbyist swimmer know what's possible as a swimmer without seeing olympians?

Possibilities exist to motivate us.

I agree with @CreamCat here, to advance or to master something it's inevitable that you would need competition. The disclaimer is you shouldn't necessarily compare yourself to someone else and you should understand that you're on your own path, but we can't deny that competition makes you better.

Think of all the great sporting rivalries, when you come accross someone that is difficult to beat it makes you push yourself more, mentally it makes you redefine what is possible. Before Roger banister break the record for running the mile no one had ever done it before, then after, as people had something to strive for, lots of people broke it. Look at Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, they both broke all kinds of records in football, is it a coincidence that both of them came at the same time or are they pushing each other constantly? 

From personal experience I play chess and I signed up to a site where you get your rating based how you play against other players, so I'm around 1500 to 1600, when I play someone that's 2000 say they kick my ass but I learn much more than if I play someone not as good, so I improve and it also let's me know what I have to do to get to that level.

As long as you can take the ego out of it I think competition is the greatest tool you can have for mastery. 

[CreamCat]

36 minutes ago, Consept said:

As long as you can take the ego out of it

To take the ego out of it, you have to let go of winning and results. You should also practice unconditional happiness.

To practice unconditional happiness, try to be happy even when you lose or when you feel pain or headache.

If you cling to your results, that's your ego.

Edited November 25, 2019 by CreamCat

[Consept]

4 minutes ago, CreamCat said:

To take the ego out of it, you have to let go of winning and results. You should also practice unconditional happiness.

To practice unconditional happiness, try to be happy even when you lose or when you feel pain or headache.

If you cling to your results, that's your ego.

I mean it's a balance, if you don't care at all about results it won't push you and if you care too much it becomes obsessional and pointless. Unconditional happiness might be a good way to put it as you said, again going with my personal chess example, I used to get frustrated when I wasn't playing well and then get desperate to win, which makes you play worse and you don't enjoy it. If you set the target of wanting to win but being OK with it if you don't and just learning the lessons needed and enjoying the game regardless, then you come out with a lot even though you lose. Now even if I lose but play well I'm happy with it 

[CreamCat]

17 minutes ago, Consept said:

Now even if I lose but play well I'm happy with it

Try to do your best but still lose while playing sloppily. Try to be happy after a sloppy loss. That's called playing for fun.

Fun makes you do it more. You want to do it diligently, patiently, persistently, and playfully.

I think this video explains it well.

 

Edited November 25, 2019 by CreamCat

[Thewritersunion]

Make sure to love the craft, collaborate a lot, and learn the fundamentals.

After that try being competitive. It’ll give you a nice base.