I may be one of the more competitive people you’ll probably meet. I’ve been told by a few friends that I’m the most competitive person they know; sometimes to the point where they rather not play board games with me. I won’t deny that competition can motivate me to be becoming better at things. Growing up, that motivation was built on winning; I strived to be better than those around me. This mentality pushed me to a certain level and it produced a decent individual.
But as I applied to college, I realized that comparing myself to others was not the best way about going into things. One of the main causes for this thought was the contrasting ideas that you were supposed to be good at certain things but you weren’t supposed to have to put much effort into it (we have been told of naturally talented and overnight success so often). While school came to me to easy as I learned how to think beyond memorization, I had to focus and work on tennis. The sport didn’t come to me easily and I had worked on it more than anything else up to that point, including drills and countless serving sessions by myself (lessons were too expensive).
I discovered that there wasn’t a valid reason to constantly compare myself to others. When comparing to others, the path tended to end and I didn’t know what to do next; I felt empty. It wasn’t until a bit later where I learned to really push myself, not to “beat” others, but to improve and grow as an individual. I was motivated to do the best that I could do. Individual purpose is so crucial as everyone has different priorities in life.
But I will have to add to the point, that comparing can be useful to a certain extent; though it should not be the end goal. Comparing oneself to another can be helpful in development, let’s say comparing your swing to a professional golfer. Examples of pushing the limits in sports through comparisons include when Tony Hawk hit the first 900 or when Roger Bannister ran the first sub-4 minute mile; sometimes we need to see what's possible to achieve our best.
Then, there are comparisons others want to be made. It can sometimes be useful for setting expectations or trying to explain the unknown to others.
I encounter my parents constantly asking me whether I like “Item 1” or “Item 2” better. But there are times that the comparison does not make much sense, like comparing the taste of different fish. As I grow and develop my taste for life, I am seeing more of the intricacies of the little things in life. I ask myself why we must limit ourselves in appreciating the joys of life, particularly with comparisons.