Who Are You Really Competing Against

Creative Warriors

by Mario A. Campanaro

Let’s talk about this idea of competition and how it serves no real purpose for us as artists.

The truth of the matter is that the real competition is happening within us, with this inner saboteur that somehow convinces us that we’re not good enough, not special enough, or not individual enough to fulfill what we think the outside world expects from us. But that’s absolutely not true because, by the nature of our birth, our specialness has already been validated. The mold has already been broken by the creation that is us.

While others may have gifts that we don’t have, we too have gifts that others don’t possess. But it’s not our job to think in those terms. We have to realize that the more we allow ourselves to live in a dynamic of competition, the more we continue to walk on our own Achilles’ heel, creating more pain and obstacles rather than freedom and ‘success.’

It’s our job to show up as we are—grit and glory—utilizing the totality of who we are, unapologetically and unfiltered. Then, we trust that all of who we are is more than enough to meet the demands at hand. After that, we must let go of what we think the results should be, and trust that if they align with what’s best for us, they will show up for us unfailingly.

So, why focus our energy on trying to be “better” than someone else? When we really examine it, isn’t this all stemming from insecure energies formulated by our own personal dramas? As we begin to consciously dissect things for clarity, we realize we’ve gotten lost in repetitive patterns, held captive by past unfulfilled experiences that cause us to seek validation to fill the voids left by what was never validated.

Perhaps, if we are going to participate in competition, we should let it be a healthy competition with the Self, committed to the choice of being better than we were yesterday—in mind, body, and spirit—while nurturing that very process with self-love, patience, and compassion. And then, if we can help someone else along the way, even better!

At the end of the day, it’s our responsibility to evolve as individuals and then help each other do the same. When we come together in support of each other, we will watch the world shift from a Fear Factor or Survivor mentality to one of flourishing creation.

It’s not about competition. It’s about collaboration. Especially as artists!

Self-evolution, accompanied by and resulting in collective evolution, now that is fierce. That is eternal.

Until we reach that state of consciousness, we will continue to sleepwalk—fighting, hating, killing, poisoning, and destroying—rather than awakening, living in peace, healing, loving, and creating in harmony.

A dream? Maybe.

A reality? Possibly.

A choice? Definitely.

That internal choice is always ours to make.

Now... what do you choose?

Copyright © 2025 Mario A. Campanaro, All rights reserved.