In this era, it is very common to see people struggle to beat someone's record or at least, be like them. In this age of social media, people see a lot of things on screen and they will serve as means of competition for them to try to become what they see. A lot of people have put themselves into unwholesome competition with others, but they tend to neglect a very vital truth. The truth is that if you have beaten someone's record or have done what they did, but you have not beaten your own record nor have you become better today than you were in the past, then you have not made progress. Trust me, the goal is not how many people you are better than, but have you become a better version of your own self?
There was a particular office I entered some years back which had an inscription on the doorpost. I still remember it and it says "each new day should be an addition and an improvement on the former." That means that the goal is for you to get better as the days go by. This is why I believe that you do not have to compete against anyone, neither are you to allow someone's lifestyle to set a standard for you. If you know what you are doing, you should focus on it and get better over time. Trust me, comparing yourself with others is not a mark of wisdom but it shows lack of it. Whatever you do now and what you have, if it does not get better over time, then you have not made advancement.
You have to know that what you have achieved in the past is not a final destination. In fact, there will come to a point when your past achievement might become too common to be called an achievement again, so you have to learn to work on your successes to improve on them and to get better. Many years ago, it made history when some drove a car in this part of the world for the first time. However, this is no longer an achievement at the moment. In fact, if that is the only thing the person has to offer, they will not even be regarded as a success today. This shows how time affects even success. In order for your success not to become obsolete, you have to improve on what gave you the achievement in order to achieve bigger things.
When you pass a phase of life, it does not call for laxity, rather it demands more works and actions. If not, what you considered as a high point yesterday, may not even make it to the front headline today. As times goes, seasons change, trends evolve, so also the demand of success increases. This is why you have to understand that you need to consistently and constantly work to upgrade and update yourself. Imagine someone that is skilled in the usage of the manual typewriter many years ago, if he refuses to upgrade his knowledge to the usage of computer systems in this era, he will be edged out of relevance. Of course, typewriters are already becoming obsolete. So improvement should be a lifestyle, not what you do once in a while.
One of the things I have learnt about people and life in general is that, a lot of people do not really care about you, so focus on building yourself up and getting better. People associate with success, not failures. If people do not see solutions to their challenges in you, you will be surprised how they will leave you. So you need to constantly upgrade yourself and by that, staying relevant to the point that even if people do not like you, they cannot but seek for you. It is in your best interest to work on yourself to be better.
The investment you make on yourself is among the best forms of investments. This includes investing in acquiring knowledge, developing skills, maintaining good interpersonal relationship, and above all, do not allow your past successes to stop you from working today. A lot of people have allowed their success to present them with a "destination mentality" and they stop trying. This is why many people live in past glory. Remember that if you must remain relevant, then you have a work to do to keep improving yourself.
Thanks for reading
