“Life is nothing but a competition to be the criminal rather than the victim.” – Bertrand Russell
It has been a little over a year since I started blogging, and while I really enjoy it, I find myself getting caught in the trap of being competitive and jealous. From “I wish I had what they had” to “I have to get more followers”, blogging has resurfaced the competitive nature in me. When I was younger I constantly felt the need to be the best, especially in the classroom. I wanted to be every teacher’s favourite student, and I had to have straight A’s. I wouldn’t even play a sport if I knew I wasn’t that good at it for fear of losing. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing; it made me work harder and fostered beneficial characteristics such as being determined, focused, and diligent. By being competitive, I would try my best to reach my goals and be the best I could be.
Now that I am older, I know that being competitive isn’t as positive as I once thought it was. As a teacher, I see explicit competitiveness with my students. They ask each other about their marks, mostly when receiving back a test or assignment. It breaks my heart when I see some students sink back into their seats after comparing themselves to each other. For adults, competition is more implicit, especially through social media. We like to try to “one up” each other through our Facebook and Instagram posts, of course only through showing carefully chosen pictures. The problem is that competition fuelled by jealousy is unproductive and damaging to your self esteem. I need to take my own advice and stop comparing myself to others. I should only focus on improving myself by my own standards, not those of other Instagram bloggers. I will never be them, nor would I totally want to be. I have to be not just satisfied, but happy with who I am and the life I live. It’s dangerous to think too much about the “I wishes” and be envious of others. This attitude will only leave one feeling disappointed and unfulfilled.
In the end, a little bit of competition can be healthy if it helps you reach your personal goals, but you don’t have to be the best at everything. My advice is to celebrate your accomplishments and just be happy and do what you love. Don’t let what others are doing bring you down. Instead, be proud of who you are and remember that empowered women empower women. Life is just too short to be in a never-ending competition.
