We are taught all our life to be competitive instead of being creative. I was never the competitive type;
I was good at things, but I didn’t feel I needed to prove myself. I mean if someone is good at something, it’s up to the other person to search them out. That’s why you have auditions, tryouts and practices. I tried out, but I wasn’t always the first pick. But you have individuals that always jockey for position. And to them I say, Jockey on, my friend, jockey on. Not my style. I drill the thought into my kids all the time how much I want them to be better than me. Now I’m wondering if this is even a good strategy to motivate them. I’m thinking maybe not. Growing up, I can remember the feeling of not being picked for a play or a sports team. It made me want to crawl in a corner and cry.
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I took some nuggets from the book, “The Science of Getting Rich,” by Mr. Wattles.
- People must be taught to become rich by creation, not competition. Every person who becomes rich by competition throws down behind him the ladder by which he rises and keeps others down; but every person who gets rich by creation opens a way for thousands to follow him and inspires them to do so.
- You must get rid of the thought of competition.
- You are to create, not to compete for what is already created. You must never think for a moment that the supply is limited.
When I read that insert from Mr. Wattles, I realized that was me. I was a creator, not a competitor. Competition didn’t drive me to do better, I wanted to be the best. I didn’t want to win by default, by cheating or because someone else got hurt. I wanted to win because I did my best and deserved to win.
My pastor would always say, “There is no shortage of money,” so there’s no need for us to compete with each other. We may fall short of getting it because we have the wrong mindset, or we are trying to compete to get it. You don’t ever have to worry that there will not be enough for you or that someone will get to it before you do.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to lose in anything. Whether it’s a game, a contest, a raffle, a giveaway, a fight, a race, an award, or especially an argument where I was right. Nor do I like to lose the credit for a deed. In other words, if it was my idea, I would like to get that credit. It was my mental production so why should someone else benefit off of its accolades other than the true owner?
The position I held required me to reach certain sales goals and just meeting my minimum wasn’t good enough. I wanted to go above and beyond. If my coworker was killing it in her sales goals and I was struggling that month, I was irritated by it, especially if I felt there was foul play involved. I hate injustice.
But who am I to judge? Maybe she is more skillful or determined than I am. I need to check my skills and better myself. I may be a better salesperson than she is, but that still doesn’t give me the right to judge. I cannot be mad, because the scriptures tell us it rains on the just and the unjust. The sun shines on us all, but what we do with that shine is up to us. If we run to the shade every time the sun comes out, how do we expect to grow?
Mari Benning 