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Competition With Self
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Think of competition
and the mind goes to –
• Beating others
• Out performing others
• Scoring better than all others
• Getting results faster and better than others
The mere thought gives you the feeling of painful efforts and fighting
with unknown enemies. Competition is also a very common scapegoat for
any failure. We blame ‘tough competition’ or ‘increasing competition’
to hide our incompetence. The fear of competition is so heavy that some of
us do not even try things which are within reach and easily achievable.
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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-
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.
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.
Constant improvement -
It is a never ending process. Once you achieve a goal you ‘raise the
bar’ a little more.
Win-Win situation – you are the only person involved in this process.
You can not loose 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 -
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1. Being honest with self - Having a candid self dialogue is
the first hurdle. Our mind assume things with are less painful and thus we
befool ourselves to avoid pain. Afterwards, 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.
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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.
Contributed By: Deepak
Dixit, an ex army office, staying in Bhopal. Please visit my blog at
http://www.mindyourbusyness.com
deepak.dixit.dd@gmail.com
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