The Actual Truth About Competition that Will Change Your Perspective, and Life

Not the pseudo, hustle-culture variety but the real thing.

Let’s talk about competition—not the pseudo, hustle-culture variety but the real thing.

Carlos Alcaraz just beat Jannik Sinner to win the US Open. A few months prior, Sinner beat Alcaraz to win Wimbledon. Mere weeks before that, Alcaraz topped Sinner to win the French Open.

These two athletes are in an incredible rivalry.

They bring out the best in each other.

Watching them play is like art.

Just moments after winning the US Open, Alcaraz went to centre court and said this:

“Wow. I want to start with Jannik. It is unbelievable what you have done this season. You show a great level at every tournament. I see you more than my family and it’s great to share the court and the locker room with you.”

The word compete comes from the Latin root com which means “together“ and petere which means “to rise up.”

In its truest form, competition is about rising up together—it’s a remarkable lesson for tennis, for sport, for business, and really, for all of life.

In my years of working with high performers, one of the foremost lessons I've learned: nothing makes you better than the people you step into the arena with.

A Quick Aside on The Hustle Culture Greatness Myth

Let's contrast this with one of the most harmful myths of hustle-culture and pseudo greatness: that everyone is out to get you, that you can’t respect your competition.

But here's the thing. The purveyors of that myth are not world-class at anything other than digital marketing. And the reason they are world-class at digital marketing is because they are exploiting a population that wants to be lied to.

They tell people that they reason they are lonely, angry, overworked, worn-out, and miserable is because that is simply the cost of greatness. So then people can chalk their loneliness, anger, exhaustion, and misery to the fact that are bound for something special, when in reality, what they need is not another shallow book on making a million dollars or hype-speech but to get their shit together, be a decent person, and step outside the pseudo-excellence and hustle-culture grift altogether.

The Actual Truth About Competition

The best performers in the world compete with a ferocity and intensity and focus that most cannot even imagine. They want to win badly. They lay it all on the line.

At the same time, they have deep respect for their opponents. They are in the arena together. They make each other better.

​Research​ shows that if you are in close proximity to a high-performer, your own performance improves by 15 percent.

Motivation and drive are contagious.

We are mirrors. The people with whom we surround ourselves shape us, and we shape them too. It’s true for the people we work with. But it’s also true for the people we compete against.

Back to the US Open: On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka topped Amanda Anisimova in a gutsy final.

Sabalenka is the best in the world. She plays like a destroyer.

Here’s what she said to Anisimova following the match: “I know how much it hurts to lose in the finals...you play incredible tennis, Girl you are going to enjoy it even more after these tough losses.”

On their deathbeds, people don’t dwell on the gold medal, promotion, or award.

What they remember and savor are the relationships they forged along the way.

The people who were part of the journey.

The coaches and mentors. The teammates. And the worthy rivals.

This isn't just speculation. When I ​posted​ to Instagram a similar message as this post, one of the first people to respond was Sabalenka's coach.

His response: 💯💯❤️💯💯

Rising Up Together

Genuine excellence does not mean hating your competition or winning at all costs. It means doing everything you can to get the best out of yourself and to come out on top, with class and integrity.

It’s realizing that loving competition often means loving your competitors.

It’s fierce intensity. It’s wanting to win badly. It’s deep respect.

It’s rising up together.