This week’s short "Note to Self" to keep your thinking on track…
Do you ever remember being in a class where you formally discussed what it really means? Sports people and performers of any kind are rarely formally taught about the concept of competition.
Competitions are a natural part of life and whether we choose it or not we are challenged by the presence of competition even if we detest it.
It's easy to see competition in the obvious places like sport, for instance. Competition also shows up in any situation where comparisons and judgments are being made. A job interview, an idea in a meeting, a point of view in a discussion, or even an evaluation of organisational performance are all breeding grounds for competition.
The constant presence of competition can be an extremely valuable if we understand it in its truest essence. As well as this, recognising what competition is supposed to be can help us navigate our way towards competitive challenges which will help us develop our skills and improve our performances.
Some psychologists (1) argue that competition in is truest form is where you view yourself and your opponent as working in partnership. It's perhaps a fierce and highly contested partnership, but each competitor can be seen as the mentor, instructor and challenger of the other.
Understanding what "true competition" is might be a good first step in getting the most out of all the inevitable competitive situations that you might come across in life.
Think about it...
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I have been interested in this topic for a while and first came across it in Shields and Bredemeier's 2009 book called "True Competition, A guide to pursuing excellence in sport and society". I'm interested in how competition "goes wrong" or "gets in the way" of the pursuit of excellence, in sport and perhaps more so in society.
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