You have, without a doubt, met this person before. There may be people who are out to get you, competing for the same objective, or who have more qualifications. However, this one is different. It's your number one rival. This individual can be your greatest ally or your worst enemy.

It's yourself.

Now, this sounds really cliché, but let's think about it for a second.

Life, to me, is a race. It is an ongoing run with many checkpoints, rest stops, and obstacles from start to finish. Wherever you go, you won't be the same as when you started. There will be changes of pace in your morals, lifestyles, and goals in life. The changes can be good or bad, which is one of the many reasons why the race is so tough. There will be points where you hit a brick wall, a steep climb, or fall into a rut. Sometimes, you just can't keep going and decide to give up. Why is that? Well, who's there all the time to ultimately push you on or hold you back? You again.

Now, there are many other racers in life, some with the same intentions, others completely different. They are students, workers, and other everyday people. The race can be anything and composed of many events: getting into your dream school, getting a good job, or winning a sports competition (such as an ACTUAL race). There are so many opportunities and challenges as well as people who will possess greater skills and experience. Some who want the same thing as you may try to put you down, while others may not be in your heat and are there to push you on through the trials. Or it might not even be all that competitive in what you're trying to achieve. However, what these people do and say is however you make it out to be. It's you yourself who takes things such as criticism, motivation, or insults and decides how they affect you. These words and influences can be used as a drive or as something to be upset about. Of course you can always choose to ignore what people say and do want you want, hearing the criticism but not getting frustrated about it. Or you can completely try going about it the wrong way and hide from everything negative by remaining in your "safe space." No matter what you do, though, there will always be someone or something that will push your buttons that you will be unable to disregard. Your own self sees and hears everything going on around you and what you are doing. It takes some, if not all of it to be used in your favor, or it will be used against you.

You are the one who chooses when to get up in the morning, what to wear, what to eat, and so on. You are the one who either wants to keep moving forward or take a step backwards every single day. You are the one who can set out to learn and discover new ideas and styles, or do the opposite. You will come across harsh realities, differences to your beliefs, and unfamiliar situations. Do you engage them or stick to what you know?

The rival that is you will put you down more often than it should. Your own self will say things like "You can't do it." or "You're no good." or "Why bother?"

This can be built off of what others say about you, or just self-loathing when you are trying to accomplish a task seen as impossible. Shame can affect you with anything. Aside from competition, maybe it's speaking in front of a large group or even building up the courage to ask your crush out. Why do we hold ourselves back? Are we afraid of people seeing who we are? Are we afraid of being embarrassed and rejected by others? It depends on who you are and what you're dealing with. You won't know until you try, and how you feel afterwards is a matter of choice.

Everyone has their limits, but everyone also has their qualities. The reason we may think we're not so special is because people don't see us as special. It's because we play it too safe and don't show our true expertise. Many grow up over-glorified on their achievements and unprepared for the punishment and cruelty that can happen in the real world. They play it too safe and are afraid to take risks, expecting everything to be easy and gift-wrapped for them. Thus, they get stuck in a rut, not looking to climb out or improve.

Now, we should never celebrate too much in the good times, and we should never keep kicking ourselves in the bad times. The bad times can scare us into holding ourselves back, trapped in the familiar settings of a repetitive lifestyle. There's no way to change the past. And yet, our most embarrassing moments are helpful, because we can look back on them as a learning experience. They're little potholes that can be stepped over and remind us to do something differently next time. Good can be found in the bad just as bad can be found in the good.

But what about those moments in your life when everything goes completely wrong? When everything you believed was a lie, or when you lose someone, or something, close to you? What if you just think life is just so unfair to you and nothing ever goes your way? What if it's an unbearable pain with no motivation to keep pushing on? This is the brick wall blocking your path on your continuous journey.

It can be a time where you lose part of yourself. A time that leaves you hurt or traumatized. Or you supposedly just have the worst amount of luck. You can sit there pretending everything is fine, or never move on, dwelling on it forever. You can go about hating life and all it stands for. You can just be miserable forever. However, you have the power to change this. As you can keep living in the past and hating yourself, you can do the opposite. This is the healthier way.

The ally that is you can motivate you to keep going. While it can't promise you everything will be all better with a magic wish, it can tell you that it's not the end of the race.

You can look towards the road ahead and bust down the wall with newfound energy, to live for the future. Reality is not something you can fight; it is something you have to accept and live through. You tough out the bad days and move on. And know you aren't the only one dealing with reality. Everyone is. Some have it better, others have it worse. Those who chose to ignore reality get stuck, those who try to fight it go off track and get lost. The road to recovery is there, though, and can be a steep climb or a slight incline. It's all up to you. How will you let other people and life events affect you? Will you let things haunt you forever, or will you do something more constructive about a tough situation?

For better or for worse, one's self can hold on to anything said and done to you. So, in the race of life, look to beat yourself. Don't look back on the past and decide you can't do anything. You also shouldn't bottle up your emotions or let everything keep you from being happy and successful. Prove to yourself you can do more than what you expect. The race is about learning foreign concepts, building up your skills, and trying something new. To stay on track, learn from the times you were embarrassed or got angry because of your actions and mannerisms. Become motivated by them and see how these positive changes to your pace proved to be an advantage. They become your new stride in the race to better tackle life's hurdles. The changes in your life may even help you find something you never thought you were looking for, opening new doors.

Be understanding and appreciative of who you are. Doubting yourself can seriously hold you back. The race is shorter than you'd think. Remember also that what happened (or what could have happened) in the past doesn't matter. It's how you make the most of what you have and what you do in the moment now that differentiates you from others and gives you an identity. A balanced mindset can help you along the way during the race towards the ultimate goal. Live with purpose. If you can survive many of the race's treacheries and accept the negatives of reality before, then you've proved how strong and capable you can be to take on more. Be sure to remind yourself of that. Besides, there is always someone who is cheering you on, helping you out, and is willing to listen to you. It could be a friend to talk to, a relative to pump you up, or the ally within you to remind you that you're worth it. Your motivation can even inspire greatness in others.

So whatever it is you're trying to do right now, don't hold yourself back. Don't think for a second that you're not capable. Not only will you never find out if you can do it or not, but you'll never learn from it or see where you go from there on out. There's something you have that you might not ever find out about if you never apply yourself. It's why people aren't seen as special and aren't remembered for much. Failure can be scary, but what also can be scary is taking risks or doing something completely out of your comfort zone. That's what makes the race exciting, especially if you know what you're doing. There will be times where you don't succeed, but you must be strong and confident.

Who you are is something to value and is worth your effort and time. The race of life is far from over. There are many more tests and trials, as well as new trails and roads to go down. Where have you started and where do you plan on continuing? What will you discover about the world and who you are?

Show yourself what you can do.