First thing I've realized is that all competition seems like madness unless you're immersed in it.

Competitive gamers might not understand competitive bodybuilders, and competitive singers might not understand competitive chefs. The process of paying attention to the fine details of your craft puts your mind in a very focused state.

You end up caring because you commit to noticing these fine details. A chef becomes more dedicated to their craft when they start learning about how important the timing of their cooking is to the end result. They end up caring more, because they now see that that detail is significant towards perfecting that dish.

Enjoyment is a tricky term because it implies a very static state of joy. Literally, En-joy-ment. It doesn't account for the hours of errors you make when learning, which clearly don't feel very 'joyful'.

Use a different word: Accomplishment. The feeling of accomplishment. The act of accomplishing something. That'll get you to keep going until you've accomplished it.

You don't have to look at others or try to be better than them to be competitive. The best and most effective form of competitiveness is not the pursuit of victory, but the pursuit of accomplishment.