I remember when I was a kid riding in my car with my mom. I would pretend we were racing other cars. It was a completely meaningless endeavor, of course.

It was great, because any car behind us was losing, and every car that passed us, in my mind, decided they no longer wanted to race. Therefore mom and I were always winning.

I am a petty person, and this approach helps to this day. When someone surpasses me, I think about what's important to me, and then say "oh, that person is playing a different game with different goals."