Question papers of medical entrance examination leaked!
AIFF suspends 16-year-old football sensation for being overage!
CBI catches two for cheating in civil services exam!
How often is this the front page news that you read? Competitions have become cut-throat businesses, and when they seem manipulated or rigged, you disbelieve the people and organizations involved. Consequently, you lose your own sense of fair play too. So, there is little faith when dealing with competitions. Do we really need them? What do they prove after all? That there are always loopholes and ways to cheat?
Fortunately, or unfortunately, from the earliest times, humans have wanted to compare and weigh themselves against others. It helps in setting standards, knowing where you stand in a crowd, assessing your aptitude and skill levels, and being the best and excelling! Also, a little study of economics will teach you that given the scarcity of resources, there will always be a race to the finish that we disparagingly call the rat race today.
On the bright side, competitions bring out the best in you. You feel inspired to perform and are even motivated by other people’s brainwaves. But, this is the rosy side isn’t it? How many of us are graceful in defeat and in victory? Is it possible for aggression and ambition to be healthy and positive?
In the interests of sustainability and organic development of society, it is important for the answer to this question to be positive. Competition is not a one-off event; it arises in various fields and at different points of time in life.
So, is there any way we can associate dignity and goodwill to these competitions without reducing either will or effort? Let’s explore this with these questions.
1. Do you compete… with yourself?
When you try to achieve something, most of us try to compare ourselves with others. This makes us feel lesser somehow, when we feel we don’t measure up.
Perhaps we are not setting ourselves challenging-enough goals that are both achievable and realistic. How do you do that? Know yourself. The person you need to be better than is the one you were yesterday. This way, your progress can be gradual and grounded, and towards the dream you are driving towards.
Looking outside yourself can make you feel dejected and even aggressive. You can avoid this by focussing on and being aware of your strengths.
2. Can you be graceful… in victory and defeat?
The most successful competitors are humble in victory, and graceful in defeat, recognizing the efforts of the ultimate winner. This is possible when you recognize the ephemeral nature of both success and failure.
Let’s face it. No one likes to lose. But, it is much worse to be a sore loser. Are you aggressive, sulky and unpleasant after losing? If you are, you are sadly taking away a precious moment from the winner. What goes around comes around.
What you could do instead is to appreciate the expertise of the winner. When you can rejoice with the winner - even when they win against you, you can overcome heartburn and jealousy. This is easier when your attitude is positive.
3. Did you compete fairly?
Values such as honesty and integrity assume mammoth significance when you compete.
The ugly side of competitions
- Athlete Ben Johnson tested positive for banned steroids three days after winning the 100m sprint in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
- Seven-time Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong was found guilty of doping and subsequently stripped of all his titles.
- Tennis champion Maria Sharapova was banned for two years for failing a drug test.
- Erstwhile tech company, Satyam Computers’ CEO Ramalinga Raju was convicted of fraud for embezzlement of financial figures.
- Accountant of a multi-billion dollar investment company, Bernard Madoff, was sentenced to 150 years’ jail for tricking investors in a Ponzi scheme.
It is disheartening that such top rung competitors use prohibited steroids, falsified balance sheets and other such dishonest means to enhance their performance. Was it their lack of confidence in their own abilities? Did the pressure to perform get to them? Was it lack of faith in the system? Perhaps the answer includes all these reasons in some measure.
I recently read a news article that disproved the popular adage that nice guys finish last.
Tennis player Rafael Nadal was playing a Rogers Cup finals match against Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2018. A spectator from the audience called out loudly just as Tsitsipas was serving, forcing his service to go wide. Naturally, Tsitsipas complained to the umpire who could do nothing, as he had no authority to order a replay of the point for such a reason. However, Nadal, graciously asked the umpire to allow him to re-serve as a first serve. They replayed the point. Nadal won the match.
It is not for nothing that such competitors win consistently. Fairness and integrity carry you a lot farther than their antitheses. Everyone cheers an honest winner with integrity.
4. Do you focus on long-term learning rather than short term results?
We all like to win today without a care for tomorrow. However, this sort of myopic thinking can lead to stunted growth. The truth is that the joys of winning last for only a few moments, as we embrace good things without reservation.
If you are in it for the long run, it will help to focus on the lessons to pick up on the way. These lessons will result in more long-lasting success. Dealing with competition is not a one-time affair. To be a true champion, you have to manifest endurance. After all, form is temporary but class is permanent.
Tips to beat your competition
- Learn the tricks of your trade inside out so no one can blindside you - ever.
- Play to your strengths; be aware of your weaknesses, but don’t obsess over what you don’t have.
- Stay focussed with your eyes on your goal at all times.
- Make discipline and perseverance your best friends.
- Always keep abreast of the latest trends and technologies.
- Working smart is as important as working hard.
5. Can you applaud and acknowledge your competitors?
It is not as difficult as it might sound. We all congratulate winners at work. At the end of all sports events, players shake hands with each other. These small gestures evoke positive vibrations; they are as much for us as for them.
If you’ve ever watched Hollywood’s Academy awards presentations, you might remember
Signs of healthy competition
- You feel excited to compete.
- You set yourself new goals to achieve and new skills to learn.
- The purpose of participating is to become better than your past self.
- You win and lose gracefully without being over-attached to the outcome of the competition.
- You bounce back must faster after losses. There is no acrimony or negative feelings towards yourself or others.
- You reflect and introspect rather than justify and rationalize.
the winner’s speech after the declaration of the award. The occasion is so momentous that almost every award-winner feels justly humbled by the recognition. More often than not, their first words are always in praise of their fellow nominees, who probably deserved to be and were winners as well.
This humility and honest acknowledgement helps soften the sense of loss and disappointment and makes others feel good. It gives perspective. Many people never even get to participate let alone win. So, be grateful for your chances.
When people are stressed, their perception is blurred, and their expression is regretful.
- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
So, to make competitions healthier, what we need is to approach competitions with the excitement and drive of say, young children. They compete wholeheartedly without feeling the pressure of winning, or worrying excessively about failure. Without lack of faith in themselves, or cynicism at the world around them. This is because they are in touch with their true selves.
You can go on this precious journey to understand your true and natural Self with the Anand Utsav - Happiness Program.
(Written with inputs from Dr. Prema Seshadri, Faculty, Art of Living)
