The only real competition worth caring about isn’t across the room… it’s in the mirror.

The only person we should be trying to beat… is the person we were yesterday.

Too often, we look around and measure our progress against what others have achieved, their bodies, their success, their highlight reels.

But the truth is: they’re not our competition.

At SHX25, Anthony Trucks shared a message that hit deep, that our transformation begins in the dark. In those moments when no one’s watching, when the lights are off, and it’s just us versus our excuses.

That’s where the real growth happens, in the unseen, uncelebrated “dark work” that eventually gives rise to the light.

And that same principle shows up again in what Anthony Robbins teaches:
“We practice in private what we later get to celebrate in public.”

And that’s exactly what every Hall of Fame inductee and SupraHuman Man and Woman of the Year did, putting in the dark work that led them to that stage.

We all stood, clapped, and genuinely felt happy for them because their transformations were inspiring.

But if we’re being completely honest, many of us also felt a small spark of jealousy, not the kind born from resentment, but from admiration. That quiet voice that says, “I want that too.”

Not because we don’t appreciate where we are, but because we understand the kind of discipline, sacrifice, and inner battles it takes to reach that level and we want to earn our own moment to celebrate in public.

And for those of us who experienced the Hall of Fame ceremonies for the first time, it hit differently because even though we do this for ourselves, deep down we all want to be recognized for the struggle, the discipline, and the hard work it took to get here. Being seen for that doesn’t take away from the internal satisfaction, it just makes it feel complete.

It was a real privilege to live this experience alongside them. None of us could truly feel exactly what they felt, but you could see it in their facial expressions, their body language, and the way they walked off the stage after receiving their awards, with a quiet confidence that said everything words couldn’t.

That’s what made it that much more real.

For members who had been to previous SHX’s, it was another reminder of how powerful this community really is and what’s possible when you stay consistent. But for us newcomers, it was a spark, because in that moment, we wanted to be the ones on stage celebrating, and we wanted that for ourselves.

I’ve been to events like this before in another industry, and the result is often very similar. For many attendees, the fire burns hottest right after the convention. You can hear it in the declarations, the promises, and the next-level goals when you talk to them or sometimes even overhear it in the post-convention gatherings.

And if I’m keeping it 100, although I was honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, I was definitely one of those who could be overheard making my own next-level promise for next year. The same fire that led me to SHX this year still burns in me and it’s stronger than ever.

My next goal is clear: to earn the title of SupraHuman 2026 Male of the Year. I’m putting it out into the universe for all to see, because declaring it is the first step to becoming it.

Once it’s visualized and said out loud, like I’ve just done, it becomes my responsibility to back it up with consistency, to prove that my words and my actions are aligned, and to live out exactly what both Anthony Trucks and Anthony Robbins spoke about.

The only way I’ll get to celebrate again next year in public is by continuing to do the dark work and practice in private, because those moments on stage aren’t only about recognition, they’re about becoming who I said I’d be.

That feeling isn’t something to hide, it’s something to listen to. Because that little spark can either become envy… or it can become fuel.

Those moments that each Hall of Famer experienced on stage weren’t just handed out under bright lights, they were forged in the dark, through reps of discipline, sacrifice, and self-belief.

This is our real competition:

• Our procrastination
• Our excuses
• Our self-doubt
• Our distractions
• Our comfort zone
• Our old habits

Because when we say we’re competing, this is what we’re really competing against. That’s the fight that happens daily and that’s also where we win, through consistency. And like Ed Mylett reminded us at SHX25, “you’re never done when you’re tired, you’re done when you’ve given it one more.“

One more macro tracked. One more rep. One more act of discipline when no one’s watching. That’s how 1% becomes 2%, and progress compounds into transformation.

• Every tracked macro.
• Every completed workout.
• Every step we hit when we didn’t feel like moving.
• Every check-in we submit, even when progress feels slow.
• Every picture we update, even when we don’t see any progress.
• Every time we step on the scale, and it isn’t going in the direction we expected, but we stay committed anyway.
• Every night we choose to get the rest our bodies need instead of going out and getting home late.

That quiet work, the part no one will ever see, is where everything changes.

Every time we show up when it would’ve been easier not to, WE WIN.
Every time we choose discipline over comfort, WE WIN.
Every time we do something our past self wouldn’t have done, WE EVOLVE.

Yesterday we might’ve hit snooze.
Today we will get up and move.

Yesterday we doubted ourselves.
Today we will prove those doubts wrong by showing up with belief, not excuses.

Yesterday we compared our progress to someone else’s.
Today we will focus on our own growth.

If we want to win out there 👉🌎
We have to win in here first 🧠❤️

That’s what real progress looks like, quiet, consistent, and earned one choice at a time.

When we stop chasing others and start challenging ourselves, everything changes.

Because the goal isn’t to be better than someone else. It’s to be better than who we were yesterday.

Every day gives us a new chance to win that battle.

So, what’s one thing you’ll do today that your old self wouldn’t have dared to?

Don’t just think about it, comment about it. Put it out there, claim it, and start turning that thought into reality, because the great thing about our community and in this forum, is that all you’ll ever get is support.

And if you’re someone who felt that same fire at SHX25, that desire to step up, to be on that stage, to make next year your year, please join me in the pursuit.

Whether your goal is to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame or to one day hold the title of SupraHuman Male or Female of the Year, the path is the same: discipline, consistency, and commitment to becoming your best self.

Although the title and prize of SupraHuman 2026 Male of the Year is a competition and there will only be one official winner, regardless of who joins me in that same pursuit and who ultimately wins, WE WILL ALL BE WINNERS! Because by being part of this collective pursuit of excellence, WE WILL ALL RISE TOGETHER.

But true change doesn’t happen overnight.

You can’t jump from 1% to 100% in a single day but when you commit to getting just 1% better every day, and celebrate each 1% instead of waiting to celebrate when you reach 100%, one day you’ll look back and realize you’ve become the 100% version of yourself you always imagined.

And as Ed Mylett reminded us, “you’re always just one more away”. One more rep. One more choice. One more day of keeping the promise you made to yourself.

Because when you stack all those “one mores”, every rep, every step, every consistent choice, that’s when the real magic happens.

It’s what performance experts call “the aggregation of marginal gains”, the idea that small improvements, when compounded over time, don’t just add up… they multiply.

Excellence, most of the time, isn’t about radical change. It’s about a daily commitment to small improvements, day in and day out, the kind that quietly shift who we are until one day, everything looks different.

And when we shift our focus from position to trajectory, everything changes.

It’s not about a single metric or where we stand right now, it’s about the direction we’re moving. The real measure isn’t a number; it’s the progress we’re making day by day, step by step.

That’s how 1% becomes 100%.
That’s how progress becomes transformation.
That’s how we build the life and the person, we said we would.

Earlier, I asked you to declare it, to put it out there for all to see.
If you’ve already declared it, now it’s time to live it.
Back it up with consistency. Stack your “one mores.”
Keep showing up, keep moving forward, and keep getting 1% better.

One more. One percent. One day at a time. LFG!!!

The Real Competition
A Reflection by Alexander Bush
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