Competition is largely an illusion. 95% of people don't even try to do great things. 0.1% of the people are loud, so you overestimate how many people there are. The rest get stuck worrying about competition and quitting after 2 weeks.
Life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask. After all, conscious thinking is largely asking and answering questions in your own head. If you want confusion and heartache, ask vague questions. If you want uncommon clarity and results, ask uncommonly clear questions.
“Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.”
– Kurt Vonnegut
Your mind takes the shape of its surroundings.
Be careful with how often you expose it to environments filled with mediocrity, mindlessness, and victim mentality.
When your "education" limits your imagination it's called indoctrination. Those who cannot think for themselves are truly lost.
Education should be a rewarding experience which allows you to think, imagine, question, doubt and solve problems.