Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Being a competitor by Bruce Brown


Being a competitor is not dependant on your gender, your sport or your genetics. Being a competitor is a choice; it is a decision, and it becomes a life style.

Competition tests and measures people but it also helps them grow and expand their vision of what is possible. A true competitor elevates the performance of everyone around them and the entire culture of a team. When a team has an example of competitiveness, it allows everyone to work harder and set standards and therefore, reach more challenging goals.

If a person becomes more competitive, they will improve faster than those who don’t compete. Competitors look forward to every challenge and individual duel in games or practice. They don’t accept mediocrity, they push themselves, and they lift others to heights they didn’t believe possible. Competition demands the best that they’ve got. They learn to prepare for the challenges and attack them with a vengeance. Competitors anticipate the great feelings that come with succeeding by having that be their focus, they enjoy the journey as much as the result. Enjoying the journey allows them to be successful more often.

Being competitive comes naturally to some people and they crave every opportunity to put it on the line. Some people are forced into competition when they realize that the other people around them are competing and they are losing ground unless they get into the game.

Sometimes the fear of losing, being denied causes people to become competitive because they see losing as failure. These athletes usually find themselves competing to not lose. They sacrifice the natural joy of competing because their focus is on the final score not being in their favor.

The fearless competitor sees competition as an enjoyable component of life by keeping their focus on the positive aspects. For those who can learn this early in life, it is often just fun. Later in life it helps them do well in things that are more important than athletic competition. Competitors put the same principles to work when dealing with test taking, job interviews, and every life challenge handed to them. They take the lessons they have learned from competing in sport and apply it everywhere it is helpful in their lives. As a student, one of the best places it can be applied is in the classroom. They have a disciplined focus, prepare daily, don’t back away from challenges and ask for help when it is needed, even when it is not their favorite subject.

Just telling yourself that you want to be competitive won’t make it happen. You need to understand the process, mentality and actions of how to compete successfully.

When understood and approached correctly, competition can and should be healthy and beneficial in every aspect of your life. Unless you completely remove yourself from society, everyone competes whether you like it or not. Because it is a natural part of life, learn to do it well.

A COMPETITOR:

· Is Passionate
· Has a Strong Will
· Lives in and Loves the Moment
· Is Mentally Tough
· Controls the Controllables
· Is Disciplined, Self Controlled and Poised
· Has Courage
· Is Fearless
· Has Confidence Based on Preparation
· Is Unselfish
· Competes Ethically
· Is Committed
· Never Gives Up – They are Relentless