It's a natural feeling. I couldn't stand an early competitor of mine, a few years back. That said, the competitor evolved one way, my company evolved another

It's a natural feeling. I couldn't stand an early competitor of mine, a few years back. That said, the competitor evolved one way, my company evolved another way, and all the time I spent thinking about my competitor was completely wasted. I would've been much better off just working on my product. Later on, my company merged with another competitor. There's no way that advantageous deal could have come about if I'd felt the same way about them that I felt for that first, no-longer-competitor. I would have let my emotions blow the opportunity. Happily, by then I'd learned that business is just business - it's not personal. Go out and win, but remember that your competition is made of people very much like yourself.