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Competition - What's It Doing to You?

By Tony Mase

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 21Mar2012 Word count: 650 Viewed: 191 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Competition gets all kinds of good attention. Economics professors talk about how great it is for business and athletes talk about how great it is for their performance.

But is competition really a good thing?

If you look carefully, you'll see that competition can actually hold you back - even consume you - if you let it take over your life.

The competition in your life started early - when you were a baby, to be exact. After all, you had to compete for your mother's undivided attention so you could have your diaper changed, get your bottle, or play in your swing.

From there, it only got worse. You had siblings and classmates to worry about. You were always trying to beat out the other kids - whether it was a game of kickball at recess, the annual school science fair, or for the attention of the cute girl on the playground. When you were better than the competition, you got a trophy, a ribbon, a certificate, or the honor of taking the cute little girl to the school dance. No matter what, there was always a reward.

Those rewards have only gotten bigger as you've gotten older. Now, there's not just a ribbon at stake - there's a major business deal at stake. You don't just want to have a nice car; you want the nicest car on the block.

That's why it's difficult to be competitive without being jealous - and one reason why competition can be so dangerous. After all, if you didn't get to take the little girl to the dance, you probably hated the boy who did. Or, if another company landed the big business deal you wanted, you're probably really jealous of them for it.

The dictionary defines being jealous as being "distrustfully watchful and suspicious". Does that sound like the person you want to be?

So, what's the solution?

Simple... Stop competing!

If you use what you want as a motivation, it can be a great thing. For example, if you really want that big business deal, use that feeling to prepare extra-hard for your meeting. But if you don't land the deal, don't become jealous over it.

Instead of hating the guy down the street for landing the deal, focus on your personal talents. Sure, the other guy got the business deal, but you're great at things he isn't. Maybe you're more personable to your clients than he is or maybe you have a better vision for the future of your company than he does for his. If you look at things that way, you'll be able to be happy for the guy down the street - instead of hating his guts.

Think of it this way - you'll probably never win an Olympic gold medal. But does that stop you from being happy for the people who do? When your favorite team wins the Super Bowl, are you jealous of the quarterback? No. You're just happy for your favorite athletes. If you can learn to adopt this attitude in everyday life, you'll be a lot happier and healthier.

The next time your competitive juices start flowing:

- Learn from others who are better at something than you are and use it to improve yourself.

- Surround yourself with happy, successful people, so it rubs off on you.

- Be inspired by someone else's success, instead of being jealous over it.

Remember, each day is a gift. If you let your ego have its way, you'll never be as happy as you could be. Instead, focus on filling your part of the world with the best you that you can be!

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