Compete with Yourself, Not Others

"Do your work with your whole heart, and you will succeed - there's so little competition."

~ Elbert Hubbard

American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. Raised in Hudson, Illinois, he had early success as a traveling salesman for the Larkin Soap Company.

(1856 - 1951)

When people ask about being competitive, it conjures up ideas of being cut-throat, win-at-all-cost, aggressiveness for some. Instead of that image of what can be quite negative, shift to the positive and think of competition as being your best.  Your best you is the best competitor in sports, life, business, attitude and actions!

If we set our sites on "beating" another person or company in a sport or business conquest, we can feel demeaned if we don't "win" or can lack compassion and humanity in how we attempt to "not lose". External competition for records and opportunities can be very positive...as long as they don't get personal in the way that the person is lost in the goal.

How to keep things competitive, positive, and personal in the way it is about achieving yourself and not exceeding another person is accomplished by setting goals that relate to self and individual actions. Knowing where your strength, your weight, your medical numbers, your work output, your relationships, and more are now, and assessing them for satisfaction 1st, and potential 2nd, creates a now and later effect, meaning, you have a baseline, and then you can set a goal.

Striving for a goal where you can "win" in spite of nobody else "losing" is a health-minded approach to competition. So go ahead, take a look in the mirror, record where you are now, and get competitive...with yourself, make a plan, achieve the goal of being the best you!

TAKE Criticism Well

Some people provide feedback, and most, who offer us "advice" sadly, provide it in the form of criticism. Even if it is constructive, sometimes it can be hard to swallow!

When you get either feedback or criticism, instead of defending it, TAKE it well, meaning, implore the approach of:

T - Thank the person or share "That's something I hadn't thought of"
A - Ask for clarification or an example if it's not clear
K - Keep calm & focused on how you can learn/grow from this
E - Explain in terms of feedback what you'll do

Once you learn to TAKE criticism, it become useful, and not so much of critical from the other person as it is a consideration on your side!