Over a quarter of Americans report being so stressed they can't function, and less than half of Americans are happy with their personal lives. It’s time for some damage control (and not the "It Ends With Us" type).

We live in a society that celebrates competition. In sports, careers, and personal growth, the message is clear: To succeed, you must outdo others. It begins with grades and mean-girl-style junior high cliques, and carries on throughout most of our lives. We celebrate winners and bemoan, pity, or shame "losers."

But what if the whole premise is a lie? What if the key to fulfillment, peace, and growth isn’t competition but co-creation? Reframing how we view rivalry can transform our lives, moving us from scarcity to abundance.

This cognitive shift doesn’t just foster better relationships; it also leads to personal contentment, better relationships, and a sense of interconnected success. If those sound like goals you'd love to hit, let’s explore how this works and how you can adopt this mindset.

Humans are wired for comparison. Psychologists call this social comparison theory, where individuals assess their worth based on others' performance. There are different types of comparison, including:

While this mechanism helped early humans compete for resources, in modern contexts, it often leads to a scarcity mindset—a belief that success, happiness, and resources are limited. Sure, there's only one gold medal at the Olympics. but how often has that scenario played out in your life?

A study from Harvard Business School found that participants primed to view........

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