Competition Must Be on the Same Dimension: Birds in the Sky and Fish in the Water Cannot Be Competitors

Many people's biggest flaw is a lack of clarity—they fail to recognize who their competitors are and who their allies should be.

People love to project themselves onto others. If you studied formally, you might assume that only formal training is the right path—and that way of thinking is pretty naive.

The more similar you are to someone, the more competitive your relationship will be, because you can easily replace each other. On the other hand, the more different you are, the more potential there is for collaboration.

Zhang San has capital, Li Si has connections, and you have talent—what else could this trio be but a perfect triangle?

But if all three of you only have talent and no money or backing, then you'll end up in a brutal grind just to survive.

The person who brings capital into the mix is paying himself—and by extension, paying you too. So you should thank them as a benefactor. The person who brings connections is providing certainty to themselves, and again, passing some of that along to you. So you should thank them as a benefactor as well.

Only the person who brings neither capital nor connections, but enters the field just like you as a high-achiever, is your true competitor—because they are directly competing for your money and opportunities.