In Dragon Ball, we meet the prince of saiyans
..Vegeta.
Because of him, I know what focusing on your competitors does to you.
See Vegeta was an envious prick who believed he was better than Goku.
Majority of his life, he was training to beat Goku.
- Always ends up beaten.
- Always frustrated he's still lacking.
- Always angry that a lowly non-royal blooded saiyan beats a prince like him.
Goku on the other hand, doesn't train to beat Vegeta.
Goku trains for the sake of improving himself.
Most of what you hear online about content and business are about 'beating your competitors'.
It's worded differently but the principle is the same.
Whenever I hear that, Vegeta's story arc plays in my head.
Later in Vegeta's story arc does he change.
He stops chasing Goku.
He starts becoming his own guy.
Toriyama unintentionally left me an important lesson I carry into my adulthood:
'Do your best. Follow your own path and let others follow their own.'