I would make a distinction between striving for excellence, which is a desire for self-improvement and involves competing with yourself to do better, and compet

I would make a distinction between striving for excellence, which is a desire for self-improvement and involves competing with yourself to do better, and competing with others in a desire to outperform them. I think you have to strive for excellence in some key areas in the your life, especially where you have talent or a strong affinity to participate or contribute. I find it's much more useful to collaborate with others than compete, but your mileage may vary. When I see other people who are incredible, I try to find a way to complement them and collaborate with them on projects where we have common interests.