Growing up, I was a very competitive kid
I remember when I was a fast runner in elementary school.
I competed in the 200m dash. I got first place in the semi-finals and got to go to the finals.
On the day of the race, I was pumped, excited, looking at the people around me like,
“I got this!”
Bang, we’re off!!!
I couldn’t catch up. Those kids were faster than me.
What’s going on?
I came in 7th and I was completely devastated.
Right after, a boy comes by and calls me a slowpoke. I was so disappointed in myself that I took his words to heart and never wanted to run again.
That was until high school when I started running as a way to clear my mind and recover from my self-destructive behaviors. As a teenager, I suffered from disordered eating, self-harm and depression.
I ran with a deeper purpose, to feel my lungs burn, to feel those legs work, to feel the wind brush my ears, to feel my heart pound but ultimately, to feel alive.
My view of running changed and it taught me a life lesson about competition.
I get competition
We watch events where there are winners and losers.
Shortest time. Highest score. Most likes. Most shares. Highest salaries. Biggest homes.
But wherever we stand on the podium, the people beside us should only be the reflection of ourselves.
Life isn’t about competing with others and trying to be better than someone else. It’s taking what that someone else has and using their story to inspire us to learn and grow in our own life journey.
So let’s compete with ourselves, finding ways to be happier, conquering our fears to be more resilient, aiming to reach a state of equanimity.
Let’s change the definition so that we don’t get stuck behind someone who is “better” than us.
So Readers, what does healthy competition mean to you? What’s something you’re going to start competing with yourself?
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This post was previously published on Medium.
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Photo credit: Braden Collum on Unsplash