I’ve always been hypercompetitive: but you’d never know it

by Joe Kuzma ( joe_kuzma)

While recently training on the treadmill for a fitness test I started thinking about something I’ve always done at times throughout my many years of athletics: push myself harder.

I’ve never been satisfied unless I’ve known I’ve given something my best. I’m never content with where am I and always striving for more. (Yes, that’s why DisContent isn’t some random slogan.)

However, you’d never know I was so hypercompetitive. Even back in high school, I wouldn’t make my intentions known that I wanted to make an upperclassman look foolish for dogging our sprint drills by beating them to the finish line. I never let others know I was trying to outdo them in training.

And even in my daily life, I don’t tip the hat to my competition that I want to beat them at their own game.

It’s that humble “keep it to yourself” mentality that keeps me grinding. Each day I need to outdo myself. I don’t worry about things which are outside of my control either. So, what if a competitor is bigger? Strive to get to where they are, but don’t do so to your detriment. You can control the outcome of your efforts: you cannot control what they do.

Therefore, what they do does not dictate what you do.

It’s another one of my mottos and with good reason. A rival may have more years, more time, and/or more money invested in a certain venture than you do. Knowing that you do good work, you can continue improving on what you do well. That path will eventually lead you to greatness.

No one gained 10,000 Twitter followers overnight. They started with one. One became ten, ten became twenty, and eventually, one hundred led to one thousand.

You have to start somewhere. Dwelling on what others are doing is not a productive way to use your precious time. There’s never harm in seeing what the competition does well and creating a pattern for yourself to follow. However, be warned that simply copying what someone else does will never make you stand out.

You won’t be unique. You won’t have a niche. You will be seen as an imitator in a world that rewards innovators.

When success gives you the highs but failure gives you the lows, always take the high road. Don’t allow someone else to manipulate what you’re doing. They may attempt to do so because they feel threatened you may overtake them.

Don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing that, even if you know it to be true. Do as I learned as a teenager: keep it to yourself. Soon others will take notice and then, they’ll do the talking for you.

Note: this may seem like a vague entry into my blog, but if you apply this to any aspect of your content marketing or business efforts, you’ll find yourself wasting less time and negative energy on those things that will drag you down.

A prime example could be someone who makes negative comments about one of your blogs, podcasts, or social media posts. You want to cater to the larger part of your audience, that is, those who will advocate for you. Sometimes you’re better off ignoring what we like to call trolls. It will only make you question the very thing you are doing to be successful: and that success will sometimes breed jealousy.

Don’t fall into that trap. Be hypercompetitive: just don’t let them know who it is you’re trying to be better than.

Hello! My name is Joe Kuzma, and if you’re reading this, thank you! I’m pleased to virtually meet you and I hope we get to know one another well throughout this crazy journey of producing content.

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