Competition with Close Colleagues/Friends

I have an old buddy, good friend of mine, and we grew up together doing pretty much the same thing, and getting really good at it. Throughout our time we've always had a, sort of, unspoken competition between us. This actually is a good reason why we're both so talented today in the area of interest that we grew up learning together. This is where it gets tricky.

We are both doing our respective things, and are both very happy for each other. There really is no direct competition, but I think it's gotten to the point where our opinions can massively sway the other's opinions, just because we trust each other so much. It's strange how if most people give me some sort of criticism, I brush it off no problem, but when it's my best friend and closest colleague, even if he doesn't know much about what I'm doing, he criticism's can throw me off, and vice versa. Even weirder, and probably more appropriate to my issue at hand, when MY criticism's throw HIM off, the fact that I threw him off (aka, make him butt hurt with honest critique) having thrown HIM off, then I get thrown off cause I feel bad or confused. How funked up is that? And it's not just criticism, but being around each other when the other is presenting a project of hisown, basically anything related to our careers. We just know each other so well. So, in other words, I'm thrown off by this guy, I lose my power with him. And it's all innocent, most of the time.

There is a lot of history between us, we are total opposites in terms of how we approach business, a project, managements, etc., often to both our detriment when we work together, so we don't. We are best friends, we share the fact that we both have PASSION and that we do often give each great advice that is taken well. But sometimes, I'd really like to get away from the psychic bond that we have, in terms of going my own path, which I've been doing for a while, but I feel like I still get tugged into his. I know it's just in my head, but I often feel as though: if I'm not in agreement with this cat, that I am missing some bigger picture, or that something is faulted in my character or practices. Thanks everyone.