Contests Suck

I hate competition. It brings out the worst in me.

If I had to pit myself against anyone, I’d most likely shut down and lose. Then I make excuses why I lost.

This hierarchy of who’s first, what’s second, and I don’t know is on third reminds me of Abbott and Costello:

Personal competition against others is a joke.

But lately, that somewhat changed. Why is that?

The Swimming Competition

So when the swimming instructor got his two swimming lanes in a friendly contest of who’s fastest, I kind of shrugged and rolled my eyes. It was the second time he did this.

I remember my last contest where I was flailing to get to the end of the lane and back. I’m sure my execution would’ve made a hippo proud.

Today wasn’t any different with my flippers on. The thing was, my competitor was way ahead because the previous swimmers swam faster than my team.

This didn’t stop me from giving my all, to give it my best shot.

When I got back to finish, I was winded. My muscles were burning a bit. But it was over. And the lesson concluded.

Vs. Myself

The real completion is against me.

The question I should ask at the end of the day is, “Did I do better than what I did yesterday?” If the answer is yes, than I beat the competition. I am victorious. Whether the win is big or small, it doesn’t matter. An upgrade is an upgrade.

So what if I lose? Then I learn a great lesson with this question: What can I get out of this? If I can write down three things I can improve and do so the next day, I am all the better.

Win or lose, I win. And that’s really the contest we should only care about.

We must be in the race with and against ourselves. When we cross the finish line, we should pat ourselves on the back for the completion and carry on into tomorrow.