Compete With Self

Have you ever thought about "Competition"?

I am sure the moment you think about this word; there is a chill in the spine for many... thinking about the efforts needed to put forth; while for a few, they like the excitement it brings in challenging the unknown participants... & outperforming them.

For most, the very definition of "Competition" is outclassing others in the foray, performing better than others, beating others.... 

In many cases "Competition" is the very scapegoat for any failure. People blame ‘tough competition’ or ‘increasing competition’ to hide their incompetence. The fear of competition is so heavy that some of us do not even try things which are within reach and easily achievable.

The process of competition can be turned into pleasant one if we shift our focus from- “I will beat all others to become number one in my field.” to “I will perform this time better than I performed last time on my chosen field/area. I will work on goals and deadlines defined by myself.”

The key to changed outlook is realistic goal setting and honest judgment of performance.

Consider the following advantages-

a)      Working with known - In place of worrying about unknown competitors and estimating their capabilities, you work on yourself. And you know (at least) yourself better. So the process becomes easy and manageable and you enjoy doing it.

b)      Control over goals & deadlines - You are the best judge of your capabilities, your environment and your limitations. So you can decide realistic goals and time frames to achieve these. These entities are not imposed on you from outside.

c)       Constant improvement - It is a never ending process. Once you achieve a goal you ‘raise the bar’ a little more.

d)      Win-Win situation – you are the only person involved in this process. You can not lose even if you don’t achieve your goal. In this case you will achieve less than expected results but still you are a gainer. Moreover, you will get a realization that either the goal was not realistic to achieve or the efforts were not enough. Here again you gain insight from your realization for better results next time.

No, it is not so easy to reprogram your mind, yet it is possible. The problems are -

1. Being honest with self - Having a candid self dialogue is the first hurdle. Our mind assume things which are less painful and thus we be-fool ourselves to avoid pain. Later, we take our assumptions for granted. It requires lot of courage to be honest with self. You have to clearly define for yourself-

(a) What area you want to improve

(b) Where do you stand now in this area

(c) Where do you want to reach

(d) Time frame to achieve your goal

2. Assessment of performance - Since I am the most favorite person for me, I lower the standards while assessing the performance of mine. So beware of this and have impartial judgment system/yardsticks.

3. Leaving comfort zone - We remain happy in our created comfort zone. So common experience is that we make resolutions but do not act on these. The process goes on; we repent on not achieving and make fresh resolutions. So after setting your goal(s) ,you have to accept it as a commitment and a project (not given by your boss or client this time)

So, if the above mentioned approach appeals you, give it a try. Don’t worry about ‘where you will reach’ following it. You will reach where you want to reach rather than reach a place which is dictated by market forces.

All the best.