Competition...Why not just do your best?

I have often wondered why retailers or professionals that are selling their services see themselves as competitors to others in their field as they compete for business. Why don't they just do their best in providing whatever services they sell to the public and trust that business will come to them? After all, we can't do any more than our best, right?

I am non-competitive. I love to do well, but somehow when I am holding my intended gain as a competition with someone else, it doesn't feel so good. It doesn't bring out the best in me. It's like running in a race, looking over my shoulder watching for my competitors catching up to me, or looking ahead at those out in front and wish I was doing as well as them. Either way, it doesn't feel good...it's not much fun and I am not enjoying the process.

What does someone's best have to do with me, unless I am watching them to learn how I can improve? What glory is there in seeing myself as ahead of someone else, unless my ego is running the show. It truly means nothing to me to be ahead as part of a comparison. If others seem to have more success than me, I may learn more about how I can make my best better, but competition does not have to be part of the formula.