Doing a PhD

I was talking to my friend. I was just sharing that when I learned the credentials of some PhD candidates, I became intimidated at the "competition" I would be facing if I went on to pursue a PhD in graduate school. And he shared that it's not about "competition". We really don't compete against one another, as we are all interested in different things and we will all be experts in our own right in our own area of expertise. I really heaved a sigh of relief at that. Doing the PhD is going to be a personal race where we compete against ourselves, really. And there is no need to be happy if you "do better" than others or feel insecure when others "do better" than you. You really can't compare like that and you shouldn't. Each has their own race to run, own glories, own difficulties and challenges. We should not be desiring what others have but pursue our own dreams and goals.