Everywhere you look, it probably feels like you have a competitor. It might be authors on social media, in bookstores, in a writing group, or even in your own family.

The truth is that you’re not competing with other authors. You’re not in a race with them. There is no finish line, no referee, no prize at the end.

Yes, there are bestseller lists and literary awards, but those don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things. For one thing, traditional bestseller lists are never 100% accurate. Did you know that the New York Times bestseller list is a ranking of books put together by an editorial team, and not a reflection of actual book sales?

When it comes to Amazon bestsellers, we all know that it’s easy to make a few sales in an obscure category over a couple of hours and technically become an “Amazon Bestseller.”

And when it comes to literary awards, the truth is that the average reader could care less which books won which awards. Few people outside of authors and publishers care about those. Plus, literary awards are just a reflection of people’s opinions.

No, those things do not reflect your real competitors. Your only real competition is yourself.

Who were you ten years ago? A year ago? A month ago? A week ago?

Have you grown? Changed? Learned some things? Improved your writing craft? Grown your business? Made some mistakes and then course-corrected?

If you’re better than you were before, you’re winning. You’re doing just fine. Don’t worry about the “competition.” Just focus on improving yourself day after day, year after year.

Today’s Challenge: Take thirty seconds and write down three ways you have improved over the last year. Then, give yourself a pat on the back. You’re doing great!