Since the beginning of time, humans have been fighters. Our species has evolved to survive and outlast the adversities that our anterior species could not. These fighting, surviving and competing instincts, however, have manifested in various realms of our life. We, as people, have an unquenchable thirst to outperform others and emerge valedictorian. We grow up believing that life is a competition and defeating others is the only assured way of victory. And hence, we fight- against our classmates in school to top the exams, against the millions of aspirants to get a seat in prestigious institutions, against our batchmates to get a better vocation and if, you’re in Mumbai, you fight against probably every person you see to get a seat in the local trains.

However, how long can one fight? And how long can one choose to fight against people you meet and greet every day? Most people argue that it’s important to compete; it is a true reflection of a person’s worth. But what they don’t realize is that the moment they end up comparing themselves to other people, is the moment they strike a vehement blow to their self-importance. Your classmate who sits next to you might have different ambitions, different skills and very different ideology or view of this world, then how in the world can you base your worth on his progress in life? Each one of us is born with a different repertoire and seek different goals by following different passions. That’s what makes us human beings and not mechanical robots. A person who spends his entire life comparing himself with others will always be in a sea of regret, for he’ll never attain the true purpose of life- to attain happiness and contention in one’s doing. Life is a gift to be cherished and until one doesn’t stop the baseless comparisons and sit with oneself to introspect and ask pertinent questions, one can never achieve greatness instead they tread down the dangerous path of nihilism. This reminds me of a very inspiring example of tennis star Novak Djokovic. Born in the Balkan, war torn country of Serbia, his parents used to run a fast-food stall, were hard up and life was uncertain. They never knew when a bomb or a missile might rip their lives away. But in those grey skies and gloomy environment, Djokovic dared to dream.

He dared to seek inspiration and realized his worth and passion for the game of tennis. He was told to seek a different, more stable profession, but he believed in his ability because he realized his motive in life, had a clear reason to wake up every day and persevered. What if he hadn’t realized his worth? Well, he might’ve flipping burgers in a small corner in Serbia instead of ruling the tennis world today.

Life is meant to be lived on one’s terms and that undivided perseverance will not come if one does not realize his true motive, purpose and worth in life. It matters that we, as people, consider our colleagues as comrades and not arch enemies to be vanquished in a superficial race to excellence. The most fantastic things in life could happen to you if you realize your worth and know your aim. This would enforce you to rise to the occasion and every other distraction would cease to exist. So, paint that masterpiece now, invest in the company you’ve been pondering on, write the novel you’ve been wishing, play that piano piece that you’ve been practicing and most importantly, stop existing and start living.