Weekly Focus
Competition
It’s what we all need to thrive!
Competition can mean many things to many people, but a quick dictionary check states… “An event or contest in which people take part in order to establish superiority or supremacy in a particular area”.
Competition is important to us for a variety of reasons. If we think back to “neanderthal” man and our own earlier ancestors, competition was to survive, to chase and catch food and that was just to stay alive!
From an early age, we become used to competition. From pre-school, and the playground, we vie for position. Perhaps running through the playground, racing to get somewhere first…Playing hide and seek, or maybe even a quiz!
Moving to senior school, nothing changes. The competition can get more intense, the stakes higher…Competitive sport, academic results, maybe the first to pass a driving test. It’s all preparation for adult life.
This is where we move into the workplace. As we develop our careers, it may be academic qualifications, promotions or seeking to improve ourselves with better roles in other organisations.
Its worth reminding ourselves that competition is healthy! How often do we hear sportspeople say that they lifted their own performance because of the high standard of the competition? Or a shop that suddenly finds a rival business open a similar business close by. We are forced into improving our own performance.
To perform in life at anything we do, we need to be motivated. Often people ask what is motivation? The real definition is the creation of goals that excite the mind…The creation of goals that drive our adrenaline…A mix of nerves and excitement…Only then can we properly lift our performance. But where does competition kick in?
In some instances, it can be “fight or flight” …Think back to neanderthal man. Our own very livelihood’s…Think back to a rival business.
Competition is healthy, it helps us to perform at our best. Make sure that you create your own personal benchmarks, to drive your own personal performance!
“If you want to find the real competition, just look in the mirror. After a while you’ll see your rivals scrambling for second place.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy
Please contact Solution Focused at info@solution-focused.co.uk if you want more information about our “Peak Performance” programmes!
