I have always perceived myself as
a person who enjoyed more than their fair share of healthy competition.
Competition is good for sports, education and virtually anything. This world is
tough and as the theory of evolution pointed out; only the fittest survive. In
a world that is quickly acquainting us to the reality of limited opportunities
we are left with no option but to put our best foot forward. It is the only way
to survive.
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Competition is great because it
helps you get to your destination. However, competition will not keep you on
top. It doesn’t help you to maintain the status quo. It has been said before that
it is easy to become a winner; it’s staying a winner that is a challenge. You
have to rise above the standard and be the standard. In short: run your own
race.
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It takes a lot of effort to be the standard.
You have to separate yourself from the accepted norm or standards and go over
and beyond what is expected. When you run your own race you have a clearer
picture of where you want to go and it makes it easier to focus on the task
ahead; what the pros and cons are; the challenges and possible outcomes. It is
funny that we should ever separate the two: competition and running your own
race. They seem to be mutually exclusive events but they have linkages.
If you want to win, you must know
the best time or the best score and surpass it. In Robert Greene’s book- the 48
laws of power, rule 19- Know who you are dealing with, highlights the
importance of knowing your opponent. You
need to understand what you are up against; the odds and your chances of
success. Consequently you come up with a strategy and win. Initially, you run against
the standard but ultimately it is your own race because your opponent is your
reference point only for the theoretical part for planning but not in the follow
up actions that lead to success.
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Did I mention that it gets rid of
all the drama! D-R-A-M-A seems to be an all encompassing reality in every
sphere of our lives: entertaining in other people’s lives but an absolute nightmare
when it glares it head into our intricately planned lives. It makes for great
shows and comedy when watched from a distance, however it is the cause of many
a sleepless night when it is near. Running your own race minimizes the drama of
having to keep up with the joneses (Kamau’s or Otieno’s on a more local note).Time
saved from the irrelevance of poking your nose into other people’s business is
invested into worthy actions that lead to success hopefully on a much shorter
time frame.
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Success acquires a much higher
value based on the fact that it is linked to both short-term and long term
objectives and hopefully your purpose in life. Success is more meaningful. One
could definitely argue that success is success regardless of the semantics
which may be true in some cases. All the same, I relish achievements that made
the most sense to me long before they ever made sense to anyone else in the
world. It is the secret behind my ever present smile. I believe that is the essence
of running like a Kenyan: running to win and being the standard against which
others measure themselves.
