You have No Competition – My Father

I have to admit I have been home the last few weeks on parental leave and after the routine was learned. I started to grow a bit stir crazy.   I started looking through some boxes that I have not opened in a decade.  (Dad’s stuff).   I came across a piece that has him as an author to it, about competition.   I will share its text below and the photo of the writing.

What struck me is that dad built the foundation around me that everything was achievable, no one could ever simply compete with a Nickolaou, and in the end we will always come out on top.  As time passes and I see myself stating the same things to my kids, it was never about the pride we had for being a Nickolaou but the pride that he instilled in us that if you work harder than anyone possible, you will succeed.  A value that is the fabric of my commitment to not only my family but to my profession.

I wanted to share this as it seemed right to do so.   Take a read, enjoy.

You have No Competition

Nick James Nickolaou

You have heard the word competition as much as I have.  It’s a word that accounts for the untold anxiety, worry, unhappiness, and actual illness.

I have talked to many, many  people who are discouraged about finding their right place in life because of competition for that place and I have personally seen a great many men and women engaged in business and profession put such tensions on themselves they work themselves right into physical breakdowns because of their worries over getting ahead of this competition.

Just what is competition?  It is imitation.  It is trying to be exactly what the other fellow is and striving to do what the other fellow is doing – in the same way, at the same time, and in the same place.

You won’t have any real competition, except in your own thinking until someone comes along who is exactly the same person you are – who has identically the same background, the same abilities, the same experiences, the same interests, the same attitudes, the same acquaintances, the same motives, and so on.  That is NOT possible.

Actually, you see you don’t have any competition.  You have only a sense of competition – a consciousness of it- an attention upon it – a fear of it.  And you won’t have any competition until there is another you.  And there can never be another you.

Our troubles is that we are trying to get ahead of the other fellow -get his business, sell his customer, occupy his position, take his opportunities, match his income, when all the time we need to only make the most of our potential and opportunities.

The person who dares himself – his best self – has no competition.  Why? Because he is being someone no one else can be.

Fear is crippling and fear of competition is no exception.  The antidote to that fear is very simple.  Just apply your time, your attention, and your energy to being the one person no one else can be:  YOUR BEST SELF.