Everything is a competition. Whether it’s competing for a job, a friend, the better portrayal of your life, the better grade, the better body, the better house, the better car, the better life. We get so caught up in fighting and competing to be at the top, that we fail to remember that the only battle that we should be fighting is our own, and the only result that will ever affect us is our own. It doesn’t matter how well you do in comparison to other people, it doesn’t matter how you look compared to other people, how much better your life seems to other people. What matters is that you realize it is your life, full of your own decisions and opportunities and, ultimately, your happiness as a result of it.

It's insane how much competition is in this world. No one seems satisfied if they do just as good as someone else, or worse than someone else, it always has to be better. We are always racing to be the best. I see it so much around me. People racing to do the coolest things, or to flaunt their perfections. People are constantly competing to have the most and to prove their lives to the rest of the world.

It is so easy to get caught up in this, to feel belittled, or stressed because of this. It's natural to compare ourselves to others. It's natural to see what someone has and almost always assume what you have is less or not good enough, we are constantly wanting more. Sometimes, it just takes a minute for me to step back and remind myself of the big picture, of what really matters.

In two years, it wont matter what you wore, how many people you knew, what classes you passed or failed, what weekends you missed, what money you had or didn’t, how clean your house was, what workout you did or didn’t do, how many cookies you ate in one sitting, or how many good stories you had after a weekend. It won't matter. The only thing that will ever be significant is what makes you happy.

Stop living life, making memories, and achieving new opportunities with a competitive mindset. Stop yearning to be at the top in comparison to where everyone else is. Stop living to be the best, and live to be yourself—someone happy with every second of their life because you made it that way. Who cares what the rest of the world is doing? What matters is that you are doing what you want to do, and making the most of what you have in front of you, regardless of what it may appear to be when comparing yourself to the rest of the world.

There’s going to come a day where the little things aren’t going to matter anymore. A day where you’ve reached that “big picture” you have envisioned for so long. You will no longer be imaging it, but rather living in it. These trivial, competitive things will no longer be important. Stop competing to be the best. Try being genuinely happy for the happiness of other people, and find your own too. Find your own by being you, not by beating out everyone around you.

What are you competing for? There’s enough joy, success, and happiness for everyone in this world. Everything works out at some point, and I think that’s something we all need to remind ourselves when facing stress, worries, or hopelessness. Don’t be greedy, don’t be petty, don’t be belittling. Be yourself, and worry about yourself. I promise you—your life will become a whole lot less stressful. Call me crazy, but I love seeing other people be happy and succeed and find their way in this life. Life's a journey, not a competition.