Competitions are not for losers
Just another 1/8th of a second and he could have beaten him to the Gold medal. Just another extra hour of work on this project more than the other competitors, could have closed the deal on this financial venture. Just another few more correct answers would have got me the better scorecard on the examination to get the better job that was given to someone else. Day in and day out we compete with some other person. It is a force of nature and survival in order to get ahead. Instinctually, we do this in all walks of life. Whether at work to be more productive to make more money , at the gym trying to look better than another fellow exerciser, at the store haggling to get a better sale price, in school trying to achieve a better grade to beat another student. We teach this to our children to give them an edge to become better,stronger, faster, healthier, wealthier in order to live better, successful and happier lives. Nothing wrong with this philosophy especially since just about everybody everywhere does it. We sometimes force our children into the mind set of more education, more exercise, more, more and more is better. Society has trained us into these principles by virtue of survival. If you do not adapt, you perish. One little problem with this paradigm, we are competing against the wrong opponent.
The opponent we should be comparing or competing against is ourselves. Striving to do better with oneself is far more nourishing, and rewarding in the long run as you yourself turn out to be stronger, quicker and more enlightened to help bring about a more advanced, a more aware and more peaceful society. We are all searching for a more improved and easier life, yet we literally kill ourselves in the process, without realizing the best possible life is the one we are living in the moment. By improving the self, we automatically improve the outcomes of our lives. For the skeptics I give you an example.
At a pharmaceutical company the R & D division is spending billions of dollars to come up with the right drug to cure cancer. This is being done by several companies so that each one can get the patent to beat the competitor and then charge a whopping amount to make even more billions of dollars. Each person in the entire company is stressed and leads stressful lives to attain this goal. Now imagine the opposite. Each company individual strives to compete against themselves to lead healthier, more mindful lives. Through meditation, through awareness resulting in healthier exercise, mindful food choices, keeping a nourished brain and attitude, each person brings their 100% to the table from a place of peace versus from a place that they may lose their jobs. This is then magnified by everyone in the company right from R& D to sales and to administration which in turn helps to bring about a better drug to the market. Now say if all the companies choose to work together instead of against each other, not for profit, but for only helping others, how quickly do you think a cure for cancer or any other disease process could have been found? Cooperative competition, some thing to think about.
Competition is healthy as it keeps us sharp, focussed and keeps us in the game, and moreover keeps us strong in the game, however if you keep the competition with yourself you run a stronger play in the game. You should have no one to fear, and no one to compare to, as this helps the ego quieten down. The ego is essentially your self preservation watchdog that is continuously the surveillance to see who to compete against in order to preserve it self. Once turned off the ego can not hinder your own personal growth with doubts and fears of non-self competition. Not worrying about what others might say or think or do “against” you, you are free to flourish and become superior to yourself at this very moment and continually improve moment to moment in the future as you progress.
Life is a marathon not a sprint, and it is not a race but a journey to be enjoyed. At the Start line, a healthy, and aware mind will look either side at the competition and smile and see only itSelf looking back. The Finish line may be the end point in life, but getting there is half the fun, the other half is how good you look when you get there. So go win a trophy of excellence, a trophy of mindfulness, a trophy of peace and tranquility. Teaching that in the classrooms will benefit the next generation immensely as they embark on their own journeys , their own races, hopefully not armed with the fear of competition with others but with the joyful contest within towards a brighter future in the winner circle.
Gold, silver, and bronze medals all goes to You, the mindful soul.
