Competition is widely known for being healthy activity. Helpful for building character and promoting excellence. “Healthy Competition” we call it. We teach it to our children.
While it can be positive when closely monitored, healthy competition can also be an oxymoron.
Some are competitive by nature. You know the type. Maybe you are the type. It’s especially common in men. Some handle it maturely, others not so much. Most think they’re fine, but once the competitiveness kicks in, it can get out of hand quickly.
Watch people’s demeanor change in a close game of anything they’re losing. Some get sullen, some agitated. Many defensive, frustrated, or snippy. The tension can get thick. Harsh words are easily spoken. Conversely, watch someone winning. They tend to be more upbeat, confident, and jovial. But definitely different.
This is not a blanket statement for every situation. But we’ve all seen it happen. A heated debate in the “spirit of competition” turns into a slow-boiling argument, a pot spilling over into a hazardous, scalding mess.
It’s in more than just sports. Music, business, relationships, you name it. We compete in our innate desire to be recognized. When we win, we love it. We get used to the rush, and we want it again. If we’re not careful, we can get to a place where losing makes us feel like failures.
Competition is so ingrained in our culture and a way of life for so many, it’s hard to imagine it could be harmful. But how often can we honestly say in the midst of an intense competition we’ve seen the participants exhibiting these characteristics?
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
Self-control
Sure, it can happen. But sadly, it’s quite often the opposite. Yet competition is so widely accepted, negative behaviors are many times given a pass as “friendly competition”. I posit it’s more often deemed “friendly” by the winning side. The runners up tend to have a different view. The combatants can more easily dish it out than take it, and verbal jabs can spiral, rivaling schoolyard-level taunts.
Consider this nothing more than a friendly warning to simply beware of competition, in both your recreational and professional life. Unchecked, it’s often unhealthy and downright dangerous to how we’re perceived by others.
Don’t let it be you. You can be the exception even in the midst of a fiercely competitive world.
You can let your light shine!