A little competition is never a hurtful thing. Healthy competition often serves as a motivator and challenges us to reach our goals. However, there is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy competition. Competition quickly goes from being healthy to unhealthy when it begins to spark feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. It is important to take a step back and analyze the competition we feel in our daily lives to ensure it is coming from a healthy source rather than something that makes us feel less about ourselves.
I think that the healthiest form of competition is one in which we compete against ourselves. When we challenge ourselves to become a better person every day and set daily goals to achieve our dreams, we are pursuing a healthy form of competition. This form of competition helps us to continuously grow and challenges us to find creative solutions to the problems we face. This competition is healthy because it serves as a motivating factor. We are not focusing on comparing ourselves to the successes of others, and instead, are comparing the person we were yesterday to the one we want to become today.
Competition can easily become unhealthy when we begin comparing ourselves to others. We all have different natural talents and abilities. It is important to recognize that we can't be good at everything. Some people are better writers, while others are more talented in playing instruments. However, this doesn't mean that we don't "measure up." We should never compare our natural talents to those of other people. We must recognize our abilities and celebrate the areas in which we are the most skilled.
Unhealthy competition often leads to a scarcity mindset. When we start comparing ourselves to others, we believe that there is limited success in the world to go around. This scarcity mindset stems from a feeling of fear and inadequacy. It makes us feel that since someone else is experiencing success, our ability to be successful is diminished. There is plenty of success and achievement to go around for everyone to experience. The successes of others do not limit our individual success.
Competition is also unhealthy when it is motivated by seeking attention and validation from outside sources. Many of us constantly compete with others so that our successes can be validated and recognized by outside sources. This mindset impacts our self-worth and serves to lessen our ability to perform and reach our goals. Seeking validation from outside sources is a losing game. Your efforts do not have to be validated by others for you to know that you are worthy.
In my opinion, the unhealthiest form of competition is when it is used to diminish others. Competition is often used to sabotage the successes of others in hopes that we can advance our own personal success. This form of competition leads to unhealthy relationships and an overall unhealthy environment.
It is crucial that we recognize the difference between unhealthy and healthy competition. When used to motivate ourselves and celebrate others, competition can be a healthy thing in our lives. We must learn to use competition in a healthy manner to pursue our goals and help others achieve theirs.
