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Why Competition Gets A Bad Rap

by Rachel Moan |

When I hear people say “you’re so competitive” or “you need to slow down – don’t you just take a break sometimes?” it only propels the message that competition is bad….and moreso the idea that trying to develop yourself to your ultimate potential is a dirty concept.

  

I’ve never understood what the problem with being competitive is to other people – unless you end up being an utter pain in the backside.

Competition has a lot to do with pushing yourself, competing against what you thought you were capable of previously and then smashing that to discover you’re actually even better than you imagined.



So why is competition seen as such a bad thing?

Searching through the internet, people seem to see competition as negative for a number of reasons:

 

  1. Competitive people take things too seriously
  2. They see absolutely everything as a competition
  3. You automatically hate people who do better than you
  4. You even speed through high speed traffic for no reason because you’re just so competitive
  5. You can’t deal with being on a team with people who aren’t as competitive as yourself
  6. You don’t sleep for weeks when you know a competition is close
  7. Everyday brings a new challenge
  8. Nothing you do is for fun – it’s all about competition
  9. You can’t be friends who is slightly better than you at something
  10. You push yourself to absolute extremes – no matter what the consequences

 

So let's rewrite the rules.

If we think about competition as mainly being about competing with ourselves…rather than as something really negative to other people.

  1. Competitive people take what matters to them seriously and are prepared to do what it takes tor realise their goals.
  2. They see everyday as an opportunity to further their potential
  3. They try to learn form people who are more skilled than themselves
  4. They try to do your very best at everything
  5. They try to encourage others around them but realise that not everyone is the same
  6. Sometimes they might need to be better at self care but care passionately about their goals….they ned to make sure of a balance
  7. Everyday brings a new challenge
  8. They need to know when to take time out
  9. They look for people to learn from who can help them to grow
  10. They push themselves to go outside of their comfort zones every day

 

 

It’s here that we can start to see competitiveness with ourselves as a great thing.

However, there are a number of feelings and emotions that can rise through being competitive that are negative.

But for now – don’t ever apologise to other people or yourself for being competitive!

 

 

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