Competitiveness

Competitiveness: To be competitive or possess a competitive spirit. Is it a good thing? Is it a bad thing? I believe that, like anything, it can be either. It really depends on the situation and what you use your competitiveness for

Here's a picture of Jack, my stepson, competing in a soccer game. He's a force to be reckoned with when it comes to defense.

My wife tells me I'm too competitive. She may have something there. The problem is I really can't see why anyone would want to put effort into something and not try to win, or be the best, or the fastest, or whatever it is you're doing. That being said, possessing the ability to be a good loser when you're out performed is probably more important. As I have found, more times than not, you can't win them all. This doesn't mean you have to like, or even accept losing. Not caring if you win is really equal to not caring to give it your all, at least to me. You can act like you don't care, but down inside you have to be thinking "if I could just get a little better I might be able to win next time".


I know we can all put ourselves in situations where we don't stand much of a chance to win. I know that I'll probably never outperform Brendan at most of the Crossfit workouts. But, I also think if I give it my all I might find a few where I have him looking over his shoulder.


This whole competitive thing has gotten me thinking.


Three days a week I workout w/a group of mostly women all from the same dental office. They also comment on how men are so competitive. The thing is, we are, and we aren't shy about showing it. Actually there's no hiding it, that is if your a guy. Women are competitive too. They just do it in more of a passive-aggressive way. That's either by design or maybe they're in denial. I remember once one of the ladies in this group finished before me in a workout and displayed no sign of being that exited about finishing first in the class that day. I later ran into her husband and he told me how she came home was excited that she beat me that day. That spirit is there, it's just handled differently by women.


My guess is that if you think your not competitive at anything you do, you haven't really thought it out. This doesn't just apply to sports. People are very competitive in their business or job, in their friendships and relationships, at games of thought and card games, in regards to their children. What about at school? Competing for a scholarship or grant, or just good grades.


When I was in high school I played Soccer, Baseball, Football, and ran Track. I was not physically gifted in any of the sports I played. I worked real hard and played all out at all of them and was therefore considered a valuable asset. I always played the whole game. I learned real early that I wasn't gifted enough to have anything handed to me. I had to make up for my inabilities by using my speed (I always seemed to be pretty fast) to make up for the fact that I didn't do a lot of things as good as others. Competitive drive can take you where you otherwise wouldn't think you could compete.


When I started in the trades as a laborer I knew I wanted to be the one that put the lumber together and not just the guy who carried it all day. So I would make moving all the lumber a race. Much like a Crossfit workout. I found if I got all the crappy work done fast enough they would let me run the nail gun or help nail walls together. I just wanted to be better than the other laborers. Then I wanted to be able to outperform the lowest carpenter. Then I wanted to learn enough to be a journeyman. Then I wanted to be the best journeyman. Then, without even knowing when it happened, I was running the job.


Once I started my own business I kept it going by working harder than everyone around me. I found that if I worked real hard, all my guy's would try and keep up. Productivity was through the roof, so was profitability. I used to have other contractors stop me and say "I bid against you on that job. You must have lost money because I bid it too tight and you still beat me." I actually did real good on these jobs. The difference is they didn't work with their guy's. They had no pace setter. There was no environment of competition to fuel the workers.

This is why almost everyone gets more out of working with a class or trainer than they do working out on their own. When we have no one to compete with and compare ourselves to we let ourselves off a little easier. Sometimes it's done subconsciously and is very subtle. The bottom line is we need that extra incentive to dig deeper and push harder. I can't help but want to put up the best number of the day. If I don't, it just makes me want to work harder so that the next time, or very soon, I will put the number of the day up on the board. In my work, I always want my customers to be happy. I want them to tell other people that my company is the greatest and Troy really cares. The only way I can achieve this is by really caring.

Maybe you aren't competitive. Maybe you do just workout and don't care if you finish after everyone else. You may just be happy to be there and get a workout in. That might make you happy. There's nothing wrong with that. I believe if that is totally true then you are a rare individual. Most of us do compare ourselves to those around us. It's a good thing if you use it to motivate yourself towards improvement and, ultimately, to be more happy with yourself.