What is it with competitiveness?

A wife of a friend is participating in local politics now and is discovering some new kinds of interactions.
One of her “friends” didn’t want her to run, as she wanted to. But then changed her mind. And feels “hurt” that my friend’s wife is running for a role she really wants.
What’s a person to do?
Should we back down from what we want if someone else wants it too?
Is it okay to apologize for our desires and accomplishments?
Is it to okay to level the field by downplaying our interests?
Is that what we are to do? To turn down our own light so someone else might feel better?
I say no. Instead of listening to our critics and competitors, we need to focus on being filled up with all the clarity, passion, purpose, values and skills to do our best. So we do good works, living out our full selves in the world. Those that pull you down in any way, they are not your friends and they will never be satisfied. When you are good or not, they can feel threatened because they don’t believe they are good enough. Every time you allow yourself to be level set against them, you are ignoring that which you are.
Use every part of you to go and do good works with all your heart and don’t worry about the people who drain your energy. Just ignore them as you focus on adding value.