I WAS JOGGING earlier this morning and I noticed a lady about half a k.m. ahead.
I could guess she was running a little slower than myself and that made me feel good. I said to myself, "I will try catch up with her".
So, I started running faster and faster.
After every block, I was gaining on her a little bit.
And after a few minutes, I was only about 100 feet behind her; so, I really picked up the pace and pushed myself.
I was determined to catch up with her.
Finally, I did it!
I caught up and passed her. Inwardly, I felt very good: "I beat her".
Inside of me, I was feeling a kind of Superman!
I had a thought immediately - does this lady know I am competing with her sha?
But of course, she didn't even know that we were racing!
Or that maybe someone was competing with her!
After I passed her, I realized I had been so focused on competing against her that I had missed the roundabout that I normally pick up a pebblestone to drop at a corner of my compound inorder to calculate how many times I had a jogging in a month.
I had missed the focus on my inner peace, I missed to view the beauty of greenery around the roundabout that I do normally make a turning back to my house, I missed to do my inner soul-affirmations that I normally affirm myself everytime I reach that roundabout, and in the needless hurry I had to jog extra k.m. ahead before I could be able to reach the next roundabout inorder for me to make a turning back to my house!
It then dawned on me, isn't that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbours, friends, family and also trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more important and, in this bargain, we miss on our happiness within our own surroundings?
We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths to our given destination.
The problem with unhealthy competition is that it's a never-ending cycle.
There will always be somebody ahead of us, someone with a better job, nicer car, more money in the bank, more education, a prettier family, a host of more handsome relatives, better behaved children or siblings, better circumstances and better conditions, etc.
But, one important realisation is that we can be the best that we can be, when we are not competing with anyone.
Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to others' behaviour:
what others are, where others are going, wearing and driving,
and what others are talking.
Have a look around you and you will see that competition prevails almost everywhere. That's because from a very young age people learn to compete with one another - they compete with their siblings, they compete with their classmates, they compete with their colleagues, they compete with their friends and partners.
Competition is a big part of our everyday life.
In fact, much of society as we know it is structurally based on competition. Consider, for example, our current economic system. Because of the artificial scarcity created by money, people have to compete with one another in order to "earn a living".
Born in this system, we think of competition as an inevitable part of nature that we need to accept and take part in.
We believe that competing is a good thing and that those who are better at it are also better at living.
But what does that mean?
That our well-being depends on outdoing others.
If others are better than us, then the quality of our lives are automatically diminished. No wonder we don't wish others well (except, perhaps, a few people who are very close to our hearts) and care only about our personal gain.
In fact, we are so afraid of each other that we have built a thick wall between us, so that we can feel safe and protected. This is pretty obvious by the way most of us interact with those we come in contact with. We don't treat them with kindness, compassion, and love.
We are cold, distant, and show almost no affection at all. Feeling so disconnected from others, we've forgotten our humanity.
Envy is ever joined with the comparing of a man's self and where there is no comparison, no envy - Sir Francis Bacon.
Take whatever we have: the height, the weight and personality.
Let's accept it and realize that we are blessed.
Stay focused and live a healthy life.
There is no competition in destiny.
Each has his/her own destiny. Comparison and competition are the thieves of joy.
Comparison and competition kill the joy of living your own life.
Remember - Time heals everything.
Once at a time!
Yes, One day at a time this is quite right.
Never look back and grieve over the past - for it has gone; yet, do not be so troubled about the future - for it hasn't yet come.
Then what should we do?
Live in the present and make it remarkably beautiful that it'll be worth remembering.
#FromTheLittleBigThings
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