9 Tell-Tale Signs Your Friend Is Trying To Compete With You

Having a friend who supports you and believes in your capabilities is no less than a blessing. But what if you have a 'frenemy' who sees you as a competition rather than a friend? There are times when people learn and take inspiration from each other. In fact, little bit of competition can be healthy in any relationship, but if your friend is always on toes to compete with you, then this can lead to longstanding rivalry between you and your friend. You may not realise this, but the competition could be secretive and one-sided fueled by ego and ulterior motives.

In order to help you know if your friend is trying to compete with you in a subtle and/or secretive manner, we are here with some signs. You can go through these signs to know if your friend sees you as a competition. Scroll down to read on.

7 Signs That Will Help You To Recognise A Controlling Friend

1. Your Friend Often Tries To Sabotage Your Success

One of the tell-tale signs that your friend is competing with you is that he/she often tries to sabotage your success. You may feel that your friend is trying to make you believe that you can't be successful or do something better. Not only this, but in order to sabotage your success, your friend may try distracting you from your goals.

2. Your Friend Seems Delighted In Your Failure

There could be times when you may not succeed in something and this is when you may seek help and support from your friend. If you find your friend happy and smiling then this could mean your friend is someone who wants to compete with you.

3. Your Friend Rarely Celebrates Your Success

Does your friend genuinely celebrate your success and seem happy to see you doing the best in your career? If no, then it could be because your friend is trying to compete with you. Instead of being happy for your accomplishments, you may find him/her pretending to be happy and finding out ways to outshine you. In fact, he/she would often find some lame excuses to avoid celebrating your success.

4. Your Friend Always Copies You

No matter whether you learned to cook or bought a new dress, he/she would do the same. At times, you may feel that your friend is taking inspiration from you, but if he/she sees you as a competition then you can't deny that your friend could have ulterior motives. Not only this but he/she would never care to give you the credit. He/she will copy and then pretend as if you were the one who copies.

5. Your Friend Always Tries To Find Out What You Are Up To

One of the signs that would tell if your friend is competing with you is that he/she always tries to find what you are up to. He/she would either spy on you or constantly keep a check on what you do. They do so to ensure that they do not end up staying behind. Instead of appreciating what you do, they will never stay back from finding out what you are up to.

6. Your Friend Always Belittles Your Hardwork

If your friend never appreciates your hard work and dedication towards your work, then this could be a red flag that you must not ignore. No matter the amount of hard work and effort you put into making something better, your friend would always criticise you. He/she may criticise you in a subtle manner. Your friend may tell you that you are putting effort into the wrong thing and it is better to focus on some mediocre things.

7. Your Friend Often Highlights Your Negative Aspects

A true friend is the one who always highlights the positive aspects of your life. He/she will always make you believe in your capabilities and skills. But if your friend often highlights your negative aspects and points out your grey areas and failures, then this could be because he/she is competing with you. No matter what you do, he/she will always find faults in you and make you feel miserable.

8. Your Friend Always Tries To Outshine You

There could be times when you may come across people who are always on their toes to outshine others. The moment you tell your friend that you have scored well in any subject, he/she would try to bring more marks than you. Or if suppose, you bagged a job, then he/she would try to outshine by securing a job that pays more. They do so to project themselves as superior and more successful than you.

9. Your Friend Often Brags Their Accomplishments

If your friend often brags in your presence for no reason, then this could be because he/she is competing with you. As soon as you try to show your accomplishments, your friend would start bragging about his/her capabilities, skills and accomplishments. Instead of encouraging and praising you, he/she may brag to make you feel inferior.