Your Only Competition is You
I want to tell you about a line that really made me think this week. I was talking with my friend Mudita Nigam, who is an engineering leader at Amazon, busy leading teams of teams and moving at what she calls supersonic speed.
Near the end of our conversation, she said, "You do not have any other competition in the world than yourself."
It really struck me because if anyone had reason to be locked into traps of comparison — promotions, performance reviews, the next rung on the ladder someone else is also climbing — it's her. But here she was telling us that was never the case.
You are Human First
Here's where it gets even more interesting to me: Mudita told me about learning, as a young girl in India, that the sub-caste other kids kept asking her about didn't apply to her. That’s because her father's answer, when she came home confused about it was that you are human first. So, long before she ever entered a workplace with forced ranking, she'd already been taught her worth was intrinsic.
That's the root, I think, of how she can say there is no competition but yourself and actually mean it.
Crystal Balls and Rubber Balls
We also had the chance to talk about the difference between crystal balls and rubber balls when you are juggling priorities. Some things like your health, your closest relationships, and your sense of who you are can shatter if you drop them.
But here’s the thing, most of what we treat as urgent and necessary is actually rubber. It bounces. And it will be there for you when you’re ready to pick up the pieces. Knowing the difference changes everything about what you even allow yourself to compare in the first place.
Listen for More Insights
If you want to hear Mudita's full story, coming from a small town in India to leading engineering teams of teams at Amazon, plus her honest take on building trust with people versus building trust with AI — the full podcast conversation is here.
Listen to our conversation here!