“There is a saying; ‘Shikin nu tiyaui’ which means however much you train and get stronger, there is always someone who is better than you. So, we should always remember the time we first started karate, and be humble when dealing with the martial art.” (End quote) – Hiroshi Akamine 9th dan Ryukyu Kobudo & Shorin-Ryu
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There will always be someone better than you, more athletic than you, smarter than you, BUT they are themselves, and you are yourself, an individual.
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If we were all the same, life would be quite boring wouldn’t it? It’s not about who’s better, its about how much you try to better yourself.
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Someone who is better than you should be looked at as a person who you can LEARN from…… Observe and learn. Always be teachable! Be thankful, that they have something that you can learn from.
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For some reason, we’ve grown up to believe that being the best matters — that winning matters. We were taught that only first place counts. From a very young age, this ‘winner takes it all’ – mentality marbles our childhood like pebble in a shoe.
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You perform at the best of your capabilities because that’s all you can do. Let go of this thought that winning is all that matters. Focussing too much on winning is counter-productive. You may see yourself as a warrior participating in the daily battle of life, but it may also make you feel as if you’re losing every single day.
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“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Life is not a contest. There is always going to be someone better than you. All you have to be is YOU!…. Always do your best, learn everything you can…. Enjoy the journey. 
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 Photo credit: Ryukyu Kobudo Shimbukan 琉球古武道信武館
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