Competition can be good—great even. When trying to write a big report to get your company ahead with investors or trying to establish a good relationship with clients, competition can come in handy. But it has to be healthy.
In my personal life, competition has been a recurring theme. You are competing to get a certain class rank, to clutch the state title in your sport, and to win your parents’ favor in liking your new partner. A little friendly competition never hurts, they say. It is when it becomes all-consuming that becomes a problem. I have long believed that you are your biggest competitor. I went through a time in my life where it consumed every part of me that I had to abandon doing some of the things I loved in order to get back on track. It took a lot of time and growing up, but I grew immensely in confidence and ability. I am my biggest competitor, advocate, and cheerleader. Changing your perspective to worry only about yourself, your actions, and your feelings is relieving and life-changing. I let my biggest competitor—myself—rule until I had had enough. I challenge everyone to embrace their own competitor while allowing grace in one's life.
Harnessing the power of having yourself as your only true competitor makes working with others that much easier. Too often women are put up against one another. Whether it is on purpose or not, it can be harmful. We are forced to compete when we should be working together and empowering one another. It is important that we work together to be more efficient and more powerful than ever, especially in the world of business. There are more women CEOs now than ever before, but there are still not enough. When a woman in business wins, it is a win for every woman in business. So, we need to stick together and only compete with ourselves, empowering one another in the process.
Emma Bathurst
The University of Texas at Austin
McCombs School of Business | Moody College of Communication
emmabathurst@utexas.edu | emmabathurst8@gmail.com
This is powerful! ❤️❤️❤️