The Illusion of Competition

January 24th, 2008

“Don’t remember where I was
I realized life was a game
The more seriously I took things
The harder the rules became.”
–Dave Mustaine

Beyond Within is up and running!

Building and preparing to launch this site has been a definite learning experience, and I can tell this is going to be a fun project. One thing that has struck me though as I’ve been researching web design and how to develop a high-traffic site and/or blog, is all this talk of “competition.” Learn the tricks to crush your competition! Rawr! Competition is a common theme in our society, in everything from business to relationships, but it’s one worth taking a second look at. Why?

The need for competition is an illusion, and participation in the illusion is a choice.

The illusion is that there isn’t enough resources to go around, and we have to grab as much of what’s available as we can at the expense of others. In reality, the universe is a pretty abundant place, and even more is produced for the benefit of all when we shift our focus to creating value and mutual benefit. Why should I waste energy on taking away someone else’s success when I can just create my own?Take this site for instance. The resource a site like this needs to stay viable is traffic. There are over a billion people on earth with internet access and that number is growing daily. Do I really need to fight other sites for their attention? No, because I don’t base my identity, or this site’s purpose, on “being better than ____.” Our purpose is to create something that provides value to ourselves and others, and thats how we define our success. For this reason if I see a site that covers similar ground doing well, I can be thankful for their success, because ultimately it generates more interest in the topics we cover here, which is good for all involved. I don’t need to take anything from anyone else in order to draw success to myself, because my success depends on who I am and what I do, not what someone else is doing to bring about theirs.

Sure, some kinds of competition can be healthy and fun – but only when kept in perspective. Competitive games are good for honing skills and building strength, and are a common human bonding experience. Now realize that all competition in life is a game, one that we can choose when and how to play. When you begin to question the “taking from others” game and focus on achieving your own highest potential independently of anything else, everyone wins. –PalehorseIf you were helped by this article, join in the spirit of giving and make a donation.