𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭—𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞 𝐌𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭?

Success isn’t a single destination.

It’s a personal definition—and most people never pause long enough to choose theirs, or to recognize how different those definitions are.

Some people want to be the best.

They thrive on competition, external benchmarks, and visible wins against others. Rankings, outcomes, and comparison fuel their drive.

And then there’s a quieter, often misunderstood group:

People who want to be their best.

They’re not trying to beat everyone else.

They’re trying to become the best version of themselves.

Psychological research supports this distinction. Studies on achievement goals show that people who pursue 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬—focused on personal improvement rather than outperforming others—experience:

✅greater well being

✅sustained motivation

✅and resilience under challenge. 

In contrast, goals centered on outperforming others are more strongly associated with:

❌stress

❌doubt

❌and negative emotional reactions when things don’t go as planned.

Why does this matter?

When your goal is personal excellence:

• 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞’𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.

In a world of over 8 billion people, there will always be someone better at something. That doesn’t invalidate your progress.

• 𝐒𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲.

You didn’t fail—you learned. And learning changes what you do next.

• 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧.

Staying humble, curious, and open becomes a feature—not a weakness.

For example, I have a goal to run my first half marathon. 🏃 I know I’m not coming in first, nor winning my age group. What I do know is that I’m going to finish, stay healthy, and have some fun! Why? Because my goal isn’t to beat anyone or a time— it’s to be the best I can be by honoring my health and getting a feeling of accomplishment. 🌟

Trying your best allows you to take pride in knowing you gave your full effort—even if the outcome wasn’t perfect, or in my case, it maybe last. You learn. You adjust. And the next time you step up, you’re better than you were before.

Being the absolute best is almost impossible.

You’re competing with the entire world.

It depends on variables you don’t control.

🎯Being your best is achievable.

It compounds over time and gives you more self-confidence.

The real question isn’t which path looks more impressive.

It’s which one you want to live and be happy with; Especially on the days no one is watching.