Why to Stop Focusing on Competition, and Instead Focus on Your Circle of Brilliance

"If you play your own game you'll win the championship." A friendly competitor told me this after I told him how in my head I was about another competitor of ours who had just made 90 sales at a tradeshow, and we didn't make one. It felt like a gut punch, but not because I wanted the sales they made – just because I was caught up with the comparison in a game I really didn't want to play.

"You can't just a fish by its ability to climb a tree"

Perhaps you're not great at numbers, or you have weaknesses you'd rather not be touted on the nightly news. The truth of the matter is simply that most people aren't good at most things. This is why doubling down on strengths has been one of the smartest things I've ever done. Instead of getting in my head about what I don't have, most of the time I spend a lot of time on the stuff I love! This get's me in a "virtuous cycle of improvement." The key is – managing your energy and emotions. Doubling down on your strengths gets you that momentum.

Brilliant people spend time together

If you don't hang out with other people that are awesome, you might start thinking you're the best – just by the fact that no-one else around you is bettering themselves regularly. Brilliant people come in clusters – and your goal should be to get in a circle of brilliance, even just if by being around smart people a bit, you get some more perspective.

A mastermind circle

I don't have to hang out with the smartest person in Minnesota, I just need to find people that are a little bit better than me in certain area of their careers and mental health. So what can you do this week to find yourself around people smarter than you – and stop focusing on competitors, but rather focus on your circle of brilliance?