I think a lot of times, we like to compare ourselves with others. This is highly prevalent in races, such as one at the swim meet. Some of the swimmers come up to me and say,
That girl beat me by 0.04 seconds!
or
Ugh, I got 13th place and that means I don’t get a ribbon
or
yes! I got third place in my heat!
While these are normal reactions, I often ask them if they beat their PR, or ‘personal record.’ If they answer no, then I tell them that their goal is to beat it at the next meet. If they answer yes, then I tell them that they should be proud of the fact that they beat their PR!
Focusing on your own accomplishments rather than comparing yourself with others helps you think about how to better yourself as an individual. In the long run, it works out better because you will always find a way to make yourself better.
In my opinion, if the focus is to always beat others, what happens if you give up? What happens if there is no ‘competition’, if it doesn’t exist?
This applies in school and work too. Instead of, ‘Suzie got an A and I got a B. I must beat her!’ think, ‘I got a B. How do I get an A next time?’