Human nature brings an element of “competitiveness”. Being “competitive” exists in all of us but the range is quite large, meaning that some people have a small amount whereas others are highly competitive.
The concept of “competitiveness” takes several forms: Embracing competition against others, with examples being:
- Vying for a job promotion that others are also seeking
- Winning a golf tournament
- Playing a tennis match against an opponent
- Eliminating others at a poker table
Another form of “competitiveness” is challenging yourself to exceed previous “personal bests” with examples being:
- Finishing a 5K or 10K course at a faster time than you ever have done before
- Completing 18 holes of golf at your favorite course with less strokes than you have ever done before
- Answering Jeopardy questions or NY Times Crossword Puzzles faster than you ever have done before
Often, people will shy away from competition for fear that they have zero chance of being competitive. As an example, I would dare not enter a USTA 4.5 singles tennis tournament now because my level of play is no longer 4.5. I would get crushed by the other players at that level.
Extending the concept of competitive situations to the health and wellness arena, either against others or yourself: Being healthy and in good physical shape allows us all to be more highly competitive either against others or surpassing our own “personal bests”. Shedding weight and ridding ourselves of medications being used to treat co-morbidities will heighten our speed, improve our orthopedic issues, have us look younger and more vibrant and in many other ways improve our competitiveness.
And to end this entry, when we compete, we all want to be “Champions”. Here is Carrie Underwood singing her inspirational song, “The Champion”. (Fooled you….you thought I would post “Queens” song, “We Are The Champions”!)
