There was an experiment where a long-distance runner participated in a five person group competition. Before the competition, the coach told him, 'As far as I know, the strength of the other four people is not as good as yours.' So, the runner easily ran first place. Later, the coach asked him to participate in a group competition of ten people. The coach showed him the usual results of others, and he found that others' results were not as good as his own. He easily ran first place again. Later, the athlete participated in a group competition of twenty people, and the coach said that as long as you defeat one of them, you can win. As a result, he closely followed the athlete mentioned by the coach in the competition and achieved first place again in the final sprint.

Later, in a different place, before the competition, the coach did not communicate with him about the situation of other athletes. In the five person group competition, he barely won first place. Later, in the ten person group competition, he slid to second place, and in the twenty person competition, he only won fifth place.

The actual situation is that the other participating athletes in each group have the same level as the first time.

This inevitably reminds me of my own school story.

When I was in elementary school, I was the top student in my class and felt that I was the only one who could come in first place; After entering junior high school, with more people, I thought it was good to be in the top ten, so once I got into the top ten, I became complacent. After high school, setting lower goals, even if there are slight differences in exams, I will comfort myself by saying: With so many experts, it's already quite good. So, step by step, I went from excellence to mediocrity.

Yes, in life, we won't always be told about the strength and ability of our competitors. So facing more and more people around us, we start to feel lost and at a loss, or underestimate ourselves, and actively "arrange" ourselves to a lower position. This may be the path forward, a path that many people have to take.

A friend once told me a story of his own.

That day, he dragged his heavy cart wearily to the foot of the mountain, and looking at the long uphill road ahead, he couldn't help but hesitate. I thought to myself that I would never be able to pull myself up today. I must have someone to help me. Just as I was in a difficult situation, a kind-hearted passerby happened to come by.

The enthusiastic person saw his predicament and said to him, "It's okay, I'll help you." With that, he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out a pushcart posture.

So he gritted his teeth and pulled the car hard. Amidst the enthusiastic cheers of "keep going, keep going", they finally pulled the car to the top of the slope. When he thanked the enthusiastic person for their help, he didn't expect the enthusiastic person to say, "You don't need to thank me. I twisted my waist these past few days and can't use any force at all. I was just shouting 'come on'. It's all up to you to pull this car up

My friend's story reminds me that the path of life is not the same. A celebrity once said, "The easy path is always downhill." The path of life is not smooth sailing, and it is not easy to move forward without effort. Many times, it is precisely because we give up our efforts that we miss out on opportunities for success and return empty handed.