Competitiveness: Good or Wrong...
Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012
by Samantha Mendoza
Lifetime Fitness Nutrition
Competitiveness: What does it take to accomplish something? How to improve without humilliating anybody.
About competitiveness, I think this phrase says alot: "No one likes a sore loser, but every one hates a bragging winner" (Bridget). Then, how to be competitive in the best positive way?In this article, I´ll analyze what does it mean to be it, then, I´ll try to give an idea of what are the components, how they can help to guide improvement, what it takes to be where you want to, how you can you measure what you're achieving and I'll drive you in the end to give a thought to: Is being competitive a bad thing or not? Walk with me along! ;)
Components
In order to feel drived to anything in life, you need a motivation, an objective, something you want to achieve and that could set your pace towards it.
Let's say you want to become the best in your discipline, talking about fitness for example, let's say you want to run a race, but you not only want to run it, but you want to win it! There you go, you now have a goal, a motivation!
Next component: the actions that you take towards winning, like being constant, training, preparing yourself mentally, maintaing the ethics (for example, during the race you don't break the rules of it) and keeping a humile attitude.
And of course, the results, which are the consequence of the actions taken. Let's say in the end, you did it! You got to the final line, first place! Great champion!
How to guide improvement?
Ask yourself, how do you get to be better at anything?
You need to start somewhere. What is your current position? Where do you want to be later? Let's hope, some answers...
To be better at anything... Oops, here comes another question: What for? And how again? ;)
Each person has its motives. But how you get to be better... You need a plan, you start with an objective in mind as I already said some lines ago, then, you settle what you need to reach that goal, you start pointing the actions somewhere, for example: You decide to start the training, then, you establish how often and for how long, you evaluate your advance and you make changes if needed.
Where to begin from?: If your starting point is that you've never been to a race, you can't think of running 21 kms daily (more if you're not fit, right?). But if your position is other than this, then your plan must be according to that and to where you want to be in a certain future.
Produce S.M.A.R.T objectives to get better results. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.
What does it take to be competitive?
Well, competition is against someone (might be you or anybody else) or something (a time record for example). So, from the position where you stand, you will need to evaluate the trends, and the challenges.
Trends are external obstacles you might find in your way, what could stop you or detain your advance? Going back to the example of the race, a trend could be, there are other professional runners in the race, they've been training longer and they're even younger than you.
Challenges would be those internal things you visualize and that can be even motivating like, become fitter in a short time, in order to run faster and to have more resistance.
It is also important to think: How can you add value to what you do or want to do? What is it that you can do best than you're doing now or others are.
Measuring competitiveness.
In order to know how you're doing things, and what value it is that you're adding, you need to measure your achievement. There are different ways to do it but, you must start by analyzing which are the parameters that could deliver useful information for the evaluation of your success.
According to the goals you set, the competitiveness measuring parameters will be established.
In order to understand this, let's go back to our example. The parameters for a person wanting to win a race will be: average time in which the race for the especific distance is runned by other runners and, the average time in which you run the same distance.
Once you've identified the parameters, start measuring them preferably at especific intervals, and keep record of them for a certain period of time. Compare the information for decision making and establish your objectives and goals.
Is being competitive a good or a bad thing?
The answer certainly depends on one thing: Attitude.
The attitude you take drives results. If you are always pushing to win, no matter what or who gets in your way, and you humilliate yourself or others, I do not foresee nice results coming for you. People is sensitive! Be aware of that.
If instead, your attitude is driven by a balanced self-steem and you compete not to prove yourself or anyone else just for pride or egoism, but for improvement, then, I don´t see any issue at all, because it is clear that the biggest benefit of trying to win, is to thrive for success by becoming a better person at everything you do! So, good luck, and go on!
Competitiveness is driven by motivation. How to get some of it!
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Samantha,
Thanks, this was very clear, and I enjoyed reading it.
WinifredThank you Winifred, I'm glad you read and liked it!
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