Is Being Competitive Really Good For You?

"If you have always believed that being a highly competitive person is a habit necessary for success, you are in for quite a surprise."

I must admit right up front that this lesson on being competitive versus being unique has been difficult for me to comprehend and implement in my own life. See what you think...

Being competitive places your life in the hands of others while personal initiative gives you the freedom to choose your own destiny. Being part of a herd, trying to keep up with the Joneses, being involved in one-upmanship are all ways we erode our personal initiative and allow others to set the goals and the pace for us.

Competition can be so insidious because over time it reduces personal initiative and personal responsibility.

Personal initiative is so important because it allows you to study, understand and solve problems.

Personal responsibility provides you the freedom to choose and create your own destiny, it gives you the opportunity to create your own life results.

The traits of personal initiative and responsibility accomplish what competition can never do, the ability to be unique.

Goldmund100 / Foter / CC BY-SA

Yes, you are unique...don't you dare compare yourself to others. Compete only against yourself, strive to do better than you have previously done.

Being unique really is your best competitive advantage. Do you agree or disagree?

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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program and Og Mandino's University of Success.

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Are You Living with Stress or Tension?

"Your body is an amazing creation, capable of performing great wonders, but you can destroy that miraculous machine's potential with an overdose of stress."

Alan Cleaver / Foter / CC BY

Stress is defined as the wear and tear of mind, body and spirit caused by changes in our inner and outer environment, whether it be our thoughts, emotions, or outside physical activities.

Tension is defined as the energy that creates the possibility of moving toward desired results. Life without tension is like a bowl of soup without any salt. The right amount of tension is needed. Excessive tension will commonly manifest itself as fatigue, or a constant sense of exhaustion.

Let's choose to reduce our excessive tension, or stress, and increase our potential and achievement. Here are some tips:

Plan your days and your life – it is so much easier to remain calm and focused if you know what you want to accomplish each day and where you are going with your life.

Exercise at least 30 minutes each day - the best cure for tension fatigue is exercise and the best form of exercise is simply walking.

Get enough sleep - make sure you know what your ideal amount of sleep time is and then make it a priority.

Be aware of what you are putting into your body - eat nutritious foods and take your time when eating.

Eliminate procrastination so things don't pile up - use the previously discussed "do it now" technique for this.

Just like in everything, you have a choice to make: use tension to your advantage or let stress exhaust you. Which will you choose?

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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program and Og Mandino's University of Success.

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What Do People See When They Look At You?

"The image you project, in many circumstances, is far more valuable than your skills or your record of past accomplishments."

Whether you like it or not, appearances do count. No, it's not "fair" but it is reality.

Why do people prejudge, stereotype, profile, and "judge a book by its cover"? At the core, it's a basic survival instinct. Internally we're asking the question "are you like me or different from me?"

If you are trying to be accepted by other individuals or groups of people, you need to make sure your appearance is acceptable to them so they will be more comfortable with you.

Some people will see you as a positive, others will see you as a negative, others will ignore you altogether – and each person will quickly decide their “first impression” of you and categorize you.

Always be aware that “people do judge a book by its cover” but understand that you can present yourself more comfortably to others through your choice of clothes, actions, and overall appearance.

"The world is governed more by appearances than by realities." ~ Daniel Webster

So remember, if you want to be accepted as a (you fill in the blank), then dress and act like a (what you filled in the previous blank with).

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Post inspired by the Ultimate Success Program and Og Mandino's University of Success.

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