Are you the competitive type? Actually there’s nothing wrong, in my world, with being competitive unless you use your behavior against someone else. From that statement you can correctly assume that I’m competitive. However, I tend to be a specialize competitor rather than a competitor on anything and everything. My area of competition is ‘intellectual’, with the exception of golf. But do you take a strategy that everything you do is a competition… against someone, some thing?
Perhaps the issue is really more of the how you compete because I would argue that we all are competitive at times – it depends on whether or not the issue/focus is something that’s important to us. The compete on anything all the time is not a particularly intelligent use of your time, energy, or resources since you can’t focus on the important if you are already engaged in something else. If your ‘how’ is non manipulative and fair then even if you ‘lose’ you still can be satisfied.
From a context view, do you compete with a ‘no holds bar’, win at any cost approach? Or do you use the ‘battle’ as a learning experience? Do you know and understand your opponent? My major opposition is with me and my previous accomplishment – I typically always try to best myself. However, if you don’t analyze what’s occurring then I would suggest that you ‘lose’ more often than you tie or win. I try and down play the emotional component and use my version of SWTO (strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities).
In the scriptural context of iron sharpening iron, competition can be fun and it can hone one’s skills as well as providing information. I remember, as a child, I had an instant flaming temper (red hair) until my mother pointed out that if I lose my temper I also lose the ‘argument’. Competition can be ‘fun’ and it definitely can be ‘educational’.
…but, what do you think?
