Comparison often goes hand in hand with competition. Competition can be a wonderful tool to accomplish things. When we compete against someone, it can be a healthy dynamic where we are both striving for a goal.
However, it can also create a very unhealthy dynamic. When we start to simply want to beat the other person by tearing them down rather than bettering ourselves, we are starting down a path to our own destruction.
We each have the choice to use competition as something that will help us or hinder us on the path of becoming all that we are created to be.
One way to use competition in a healthy way is as accountability partners. If you each have a goal in the same area, you can encourage each other and push each other farther than if you are doing it alone.
Once again, however, you must be mindful that there is a trap here.
If I begin to compare with others who have achieved what I am attempting, I could begin to frequently rationalize the advantages they have. For example: He has more money, so he can purchase healthier food. He has more time, so he can go to the gym whenever he wants. He has more encouragement from his family, so it’s easier for him.
If I don’t rationalize it that way, another trap is that I can begin to tear down my competitors. I might undermine their success with cruel comments, harsh judgments, or criticism.
There is one other form of competition that can be either healthy or hurtful, depending on how we approach it: self-competition.
The caveat with self-competition is the same as with any other competition: I must compete for the purpose of bettering myself, not discouraging myself.
The conclusion that I have come to is that competition can be a great way to propel myself towards greatness, but only if I focus on the scenarios where everybody wins.
- Exercise:
Is there a running mate in your life that you could compete with in a way that would help you both win?
What would that competition look like?
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