Researchers Should Compete With Themselves

Dr. Moshiur Rahman

There are many days in a researcher’s life when it feels like we are moving forward, yet at the same time, we sense we are stuck somewhere. You might spend week after week on an experiment, but see no results. A proposal is written, only to be met with harsh comments during review. New data is obtained in the lab, but it doesn’t match the previous findings. From the outside, everything seems to be going fine—going to the lab, reading new papers, discussions, seminars—but inside, an invisible stagnation quietly takes hold of the mind.

This experience is not just yours, but that of almost every researcher in the world. That’s because research success can never be measured by competition. If you judge your own progress by percentages, age, or by comparing your CV to someone familiar, research not only becomes more difficult, but also more unforgiving. This is precisely where self-competition is needed—fighting your own battles, expanding your own boundaries, moving at your own pace.

We often forget that each research journey is unique. Some have larger labs, more funding, available supervisors—others do not. One person may publish five papers in four years, while someone else may be forced to restart a single project multiple times within the same period. Someone might master a skill quickly, while another takes twice as long to learn the same thing. Despite these countless differences, we often compare ourselves to people whose research context is nothing like ours.

A video may show you where someone has reached, what they’ve achieved, how quickly they’ve advanced. Naturally you may wonder, “Am I falling behind?” But remember, in videos we only see others’ results; we never see their process. Their sleepless nights, failed experiments, moments of doubt, broken spirits, starting over—none of these are visible. When you compare your visible reality with someone else’s unseen struggles, your own path becomes blurry.

The real competition in research is therefore internal, not external. Did you learn a little more today than you did yesterday? Are you more skilled in experiments than last week? Did you start your work with more confidence than you had last month? The answers to these questions are the true metrics of your progress. The pace of research is never constant—sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes a pause, sometimes an unexpected leap. But what matters most is that you keep moving forward.

The challenge is, we live in a time when the visible images of success are highlighted and repeatedly shown. Social media shares someone’s paper acceptance, but hides the six rejections. We see someone’s PhD completion photo, but not how many times they failed over five years in the lab. When society rewards outcomes but not the process, maintaining self-competition becomes even more difficult.

Yet a researcher’s true strength lies here—valuing the process, learning with patience, and respecting one’s own pace. The way you learn, your lab-mates learn as well; your methods, challenges, advantages and disadvantages—all are different. Judging yourself by another’s CV is like trying to find your way with someone else’s map—which never leads to the right destination.

The journey of research is a marathon, not a sprint. Sometimes, moving slowly is entirely natural. At times, progress may seem minimal, but moving ahead remains vital. Every small success, each lesson learned, every moment of rising after failure—all add up to push your research forward. Competing with yourself brings mental clarity, keeps your purpose sharp, and builds confidence in your own abilities.

Finally, when you feel, “Others are moving ahead, why am I not?”—remember at that moment, your only competitor is yourself. The you of yesterday. Your progress, your learning, your patience—all of these will one day lead you to the place that now feels like a distant dream.

This silent, personal competition with yourself is the greatest strength of any researcher. Because those who know how to walk their own path, move at their own pace, and expand their own boundaries—they are the ones who one day create new knowledge and drive civilization forward.

Be loyal not to others, but to your own pace. Let the competition be with yourself.