Picture a group of adults given a task to perform. Research has shown that, if one adult performs worse than his or her peers on that task, it will result in a loss of self-esteem. Furthermore, that person is likely to perform more poorly on that same task in the future.
Now put a group of four- to five-years old kids in the same situation. There is no affect on the child who didn’t perform as well as his or her peers.
So what do kids know that we adults have forgotten?
They think they can learn new tricks, they can adapt. We adults think that an old dog can’t be taught new tricks!
Kids also think they can try harder next time and make up the difference. Isn’t that a healthy attitude? So why don’t we think that as adults?
Have we been beat down too many times? Are we too hard on ourselves? Do we want to think that things should come easily for us?
Life will throw you curve bills. On the path to bigg success, there will be times when you try and you don’t succeed. It’s important to learn from your mistakes, but we often learn the wrong lesson.
Learn. Adapt. Then double your efforts.
Don’t compete with the opposite sex
A more recent study at the University of Michigan showed that kids can be affected by competition. Little girls respond negatively if a little boy does better on a task. Little boys respond likewise – there’s a damaging impact if a little girl does better.
So what can we conclude? Should we learn that women shouldn’t try to compete with men? Or that men shouldn’t try to compete with women?
See them as a role model, not competition
There will almost certainly always be somebody better. If not, maybe a good dose of humility is in order! But rather than comparing yourself to that person and getting discouraged, look at that person as a role model.
You are where you are. They are where you want to be. See what you can learn from them so you get to where they are.
Chances are they got started earlier. Chances are they’ve put more time in. Chances are they’ve gotten a few lucky breaks – the kind of luck that comes to people who put themselves out there and take calculated risks.
So don’t see them as competition; look at them as a role model.
Don’t compete with others at all
But there’s a higher order – a higher level of consciousness regarding comparisons. Here it is:
Don’t compete with anyone else – man, woman or beast!
Compete with yourself.
Find that thing you at which you excel. Then strive to improve a little bit every day – day after day, the “new you” competing against the “old you”.
Focus on making yourself the best competitor you could ever encounter! Have you ever noticed that a great competitor brings out the best in his or her opponents?
Become your own best competitor and you’ll be a bigg success!
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(Image in today's post by personalfx)