For as long as I can remember, my greatest rival has always been the person I was yesterday.
The idea of competition has always seemed a bit foreign to me. True competition, as I see it, requires a level playing field—like athletes at the Olympics, all starting from the same line, having endured the same grueling training. But life rarely offers such fairness. To compare my journey to another’s feels misguided, even unfair. Each of us walks our own path, shaped by different experiences, circumstances, and choices. If two people are headed to New York, is it fair to measure the one who took a bus against the one who sailed across an ocean?
Many years ago, I came across a book titled Racing Alone by Nader Khalili, an Iranian American architect known for his innovative work in earth architecture. The title was inspired by a moment of quiet wisdom: At a park, Nader’s young son, unable to keep pace with older children, asked if he could race alone. In that simple request—free from the pressure to compete, unburdened by comparison—lay a profound truth. The most significant races we run are not against others, but against ourselves, against who we were the day before.
“I touched my dreams in reality by racing and competing with no one but myself… We too are created not as masses to race, but as individuals to live and transcend. There is an endless reserve of strength in every human to reach his goal, if only this strength is spent in achieving rather than racing and competing.”
~Nader Khalili
This philosophy has been a guiding light for me. Today, I took a step that might seem ordinary to most but carries deep meaning for me: I signed up for a half marathon. Running has always been more than just a physical activity for me; it was my sanctuary, a place where I felt connected to the earth and to myself. But life, with its relentless pace and unexpected turns, pulled me away from this joy for the past five years.
In the grand marathon of life, the only race that truly matters is the one we run against our past selves. It’s not about outpacing others, but about outgrowing who we were.
Some might question my decision to enter this marathon, especially given my lack of recent training. But for me, success isn’t about finishing first or even keeping pace with others. It’s about challenging the version of myself that existed yesterday, pushing past my own limits, and embracing the journey of self-improvement. In that race, I already taste victory, not because I’ve outdone anyone else, but because I’ve dared to become more than I was before.
“Compete externally and you compare.
Compete internally and you improve.”
~ James Clear
