You think you made it, and that’s when you realize you haven’t.

This defines much of my life.

And, maybe even yours. If you are a competitive person.

I am always seeking new opportunities.

When I was in grade school, I wanted to get the best SAT score.

When I got the SAT score, I wanted to write the best essays.

When I wrote the best essays, I wanted to get into the best colleges.

When I got into the best colleges, I wanted to get into the best clubs.

When I got into the best clubs, I wanted to get the best internships.

When I got the best internship, I wanted to build the best business.

When I got to the business, I realized that there are so many people that are far more successful and smarter than me from Joe Schmoe university.

It is a constant process of achieve and then realize that everyone in the room you are now a part of has also achieved.

Congratulations. You got the offer.

Welcome to our team. Where everyone else also has got the same offer.

Your old competition becomes irrelevant.

Your new competition is all the ones who got the offer like you.

This is a never ending cycle of prestige and competition.

And, in this process, it is easy to lose track of what we want. Me. And, no one else.

The reality is that this is not a bad thing.

Competition as I have broken down in prior writing is a source of condensed, quality improvement.

In this process it is important to step back and realize that you are not average. You are above average. You are an achiever. You cannot be stopped.

The only thing that can stop you? Your own self.

That’s right. When we do things that are not aligned with what it is that we want.

Bottom-line? Life is an infinite game. There’s no such thing as “making it.” There is only such a thing as not making it. If we keep chasing what we do not want.