The best way to feel better about your competition is to understand that there is no such thing as competition! You heard me.
Let me say it again: there is no such thing as competition! Although such a statement is a universal principle of the self development/self actualisation movement sweeping the world, the reason why it is as real for you as any other aspect of business is that the only thing to concentrate your energies on is YOUR business and improving anything/everything in it.
You see, its a bit like the commitment I made to myself two years ago.
At the time I had invested all my capital into a commercial coffee roasting facility - which was a start-up - and had financial issues compounding my desire for customers and growth.
If this wasn't enough to cope with, I let myself fall prey to news via T.
V.
, radio and print, which only added to the assortment in my head.
Each night I was going home, having dinner with my family, where I was physically present, but I just wasn't mentally present.
I experienced ongoing stress headaches and my mind felt compressed like it was ready to explode.
In short it was full of junk thoughts - I was worrying about everything from how to get ahead, my competition and what they were up to, the economy and indexes, to just down-right negative feelings of impending global warming disasters.
There did not seem any escape or any reprieve.
The problem was I was filling my mind up with stuff which I had acquired from 'the outside' and was taking it to work with me.
A lot of the time I was wondering what my immediate competition was up to, where they were going and ways to beat them.
There was only so much of this anyone could take - so I took time out to meditate and regroup.
And whilst I knew the term MYOB (mind your own business - my father often repeated that to me) the true meaning of it came home to me.
My inner voice said to me "STOP WORRYING ABOUT YOUR COMPETITION or anything else outside of the 4 walls of your business".
It was time to calm down.
So here is what I did: The first vow I made to myself was to stop listening, reading or viewing the news (I have for three years now and I am still surprisingly well informed).
Next, I began listening to self-development audios and classical music ONLY.
Nothing else! Then I went about measuring the market from the perspective of the opportunities I could exploit, and the gaps I could see.
It was exciting to finally have clarity of my own direction - and that of my business.
I stopped being concerned about my competition.
(I acknowledge it takes a certain temperament to stop worrying, but all of us can develop that.
It is important to practice exercises which have a calming effect on your inner being since whatever you feel on the inside YOU WILL CREATE in your business.
This is not hocus pocus) That's it really - nice to keep it simple.
And what was the result I hear you say? Well, my contract coffee roasting business is still classed as a 'new' venture.
After only two years in existence it is already a medium size roasting business bordering on large in its market.
To put it in perspective, it now rivals for volume of product produced per week a great many of the 'competitors' who have been around for 10 years or more.
I say this to you not to brag, but to make clear that the growth of my business only occurred once I gave up thinking about my competition and concentrating on what I had to do, or could do, to exploit the market.
The space for growth only opened up once I stopped worrying about my competition.
I urge you to do the same.