Competition is in your mind. There are people who compete with me every day but I'm not thinking about them. They're thinking about me. I am the competition in their mind. All of this is happening while I'm completely oblivious to their mind's creations.
The only person you have to compete against is yesterday's version of you. If you can consistently defeat yourself then success becomes inevitable. It is only a matter of time.
Success is elusive. Many people would consider me successful. But the same emotions I had before my rise to fame are the same emotions I have now. I still have feelings of inadequacy & fear. And I hope they never leave. These are the emotions that keep me sharp and hungry.
There Is No Competition
I tell my marketing & branding students that there is no such thing as competitors in business. I call them "Market Partners." When you capture a piece of a market it is called your market share. The entities that you share the market with help shape your brand.
The entity that creates the market has the toughest job because it has no market partners (competitors). It has no example to look to. If you enter into the supplements market right now, there are thousands of examples to draw inspiration from. You can even find studies and statistics which will help you sell.
Much of the work has been done for you.
The other problem with being first to market is education. You have the duty to educate people on why they need your product. I always say, "If you have to educate your market on why they need your product then you're stealing time from selling your product."
Do people need an education on the benefits of energy drinks or coffee? No! They've already purchased a product from these markets. All you have to do is convince them to try yours.
I author and write books. Do you think I'm afraid of competition? Nope! I want you to buy someone else's book. I want you to build up the habit of buying books. It's much harder to sell a book to someone who has never bought a book than it is to sell a book to someone who has purchased from your competitor.
Change Your Mind
If you don't like the way something looks, try looking at it from another angle.
Changing your viewpoint opens portals for new thought journeys. By changing how you view something you force your brain to process it differently. This empowers creativity and confidence.
When the unconscious mind floods you with fears don't run from them. Simply change how you look at them. Suddenly, the dragon turns into a loyal puppy.
Learn how to view your competition as useful and it will become useful. Have you ever thought about reaching out to your competition and working with them? What if they become your partner? Suddenly, your competition has disappeared.
The streets say, "Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer." This has been proven to work more times than it has not.
Anyway, no one can actually compete with you because you are unique. You are going to do something different. And that's your advantage. You are a one-of-one like a rare NFT. If you solely copy others then you will experience competition.
But if you tap into your uniqueness then you will force others to compete with you. People will frustrate themselves trying to come up to your level. They will wonder why you have so much success and they don't. And the secret is, you are focused on yourself while they're focused on others.
You don't have competition. Competition has YOU!