Reza Abraham's Blog - Posts Tagged "incontrol-life"
Competition and Happiness
Ask any normal person to sketch their dream getaway from normal, everyday life, and they will paint an ideal life that is stress-free and non-competitive.
Unfortunately (debatable), humans are innately competitive.
Be it in school, at work, or in life, we have always been told that to win is to stand at the very top. Competition is inevitable. Society doesn't seem like a place where you can cut yourself the tiniest bit of slack, does it? I mean, you even have to compete with yourself!
A lot of time, how a person takes competition depends on the biological and social changes they have experienced growing up. It is this very desire to stand out from the crowd that propels us to go above and beyond what we are capable of. However, one has to keep their intention for competition in check. It is easy to feel unfulfilled and lacking when competition is heading in the wrong direction.
When is competition doing you more harm than good? It all comes down to your attitude.
You know the competition is heading towards a toxic path when you demand perfection, with no tolerance for anything that seconds it. You start feeling down, and you might even blame yourself for not being able to achieve what you wanted to. Instead of acknowledging the fact that you have grown a little stronger, or gotten a little faster than YOU in the past, your focus is solely on how much better your competitor is performing.
The unhealthy competition also results in lowered self-esteem. Competition can be helpful in character-building, especially when one is able to perform well despite being put under pressure. However, when expectations and standards are not met, and there is no recognition received, it could lead to a sense of anxiety and insecurity about oneself. That is when one could either give up on pursuing what they had wanted for themselves, or develop a false sense of what "perfection" should be.
On the other hand, good competition will push the parties involved to evolve and get better. A competitive environment is perfect for developing one’s skill set because it pushes them to constantly perform their best, which is commonly known as the Growth Mindset. Someone who is a sporting competitor is someone who wishes to succeed, but will also celebrate the victory of his opponent.
Healthy competition encourages collaboration and cooperation. In an age where the use of social media is growing exponentially, human beings spend a considerable amount of time on their own instead of with others. Competition provides feedback that we can evaluate in terms of behavioral, psychological, social, and economic outcomes, and can provide a rich learning environment for people to express and develop physical skills and personal attributes.
It's irrefutable that competition plays an important role in growth. Competitions should not be used as a means to magnify what you might be lacking instead. Competitions should exist for you to identify both your strengths and weaknesses, and while improving, don’t forget to celebrate yourself. Strive for excellence, not perfection, because
News flash: Perfection does not exist. It is an unattainable concept.
You don’t necessarily have to be the first to be the winner.
What makes you a champion in life is your unbreakable spirit in giving yourself and the world the best that you can.
Learn to love your imperfections, because that is what makes you, You!
-
Check out my new video on How to Find Peace with your Imperfections at https://youtu.be/pr8BY94MJAg.
By yours truly.
Unfortunately (debatable), humans are innately competitive.
Be it in school, at work, or in life, we have always been told that to win is to stand at the very top. Competition is inevitable. Society doesn't seem like a place where you can cut yourself the tiniest bit of slack, does it? I mean, you even have to compete with yourself!
A lot of time, how a person takes competition depends on the biological and social changes they have experienced growing up. It is this very desire to stand out from the crowd that propels us to go above and beyond what we are capable of. However, one has to keep their intention for competition in check. It is easy to feel unfulfilled and lacking when competition is heading in the wrong direction.
When is competition doing you more harm than good? It all comes down to your attitude.
You know the competition is heading towards a toxic path when you demand perfection, with no tolerance for anything that seconds it. You start feeling down, and you might even blame yourself for not being able to achieve what you wanted to. Instead of acknowledging the fact that you have grown a little stronger, or gotten a little faster than YOU in the past, your focus is solely on how much better your competitor is performing.
The unhealthy competition also results in lowered self-esteem. Competition can be helpful in character-building, especially when one is able to perform well despite being put under pressure. However, when expectations and standards are not met, and there is no recognition received, it could lead to a sense of anxiety and insecurity about oneself. That is when one could either give up on pursuing what they had wanted for themselves, or develop a false sense of what "perfection" should be.
On the other hand, good competition will push the parties involved to evolve and get better. A competitive environment is perfect for developing one’s skill set because it pushes them to constantly perform their best, which is commonly known as the Growth Mindset. Someone who is a sporting competitor is someone who wishes to succeed, but will also celebrate the victory of his opponent.
Healthy competition encourages collaboration and cooperation. In an age where the use of social media is growing exponentially, human beings spend a considerable amount of time on their own instead of with others. Competition provides feedback that we can evaluate in terms of behavioral, psychological, social, and economic outcomes, and can provide a rich learning environment for people to express and develop physical skills and personal attributes.
It's irrefutable that competition plays an important role in growth. Competitions should not be used as a means to magnify what you might be lacking instead. Competitions should exist for you to identify both your strengths and weaknesses, and while improving, don’t forget to celebrate yourself. Strive for excellence, not perfection, because
News flash: Perfection does not exist. It is an unattainable concept.
You don’t necessarily have to be the first to be the winner.
What makes you a champion in life is your unbreakable spirit in giving yourself and the world the best that you can.
Learn to love your imperfections, because that is what makes you, You!
-
Check out my new video on How to Find Peace with your Imperfections at https://youtu.be/pr8BY94MJAg.
By yours truly.
