Thoughts on Competitiveness...Masakatsu Agatsu.

This morning, I decided to Google thoughts on competitiveness and I found the following blog post on The Sales Blog by S. Anthony Iannarino, and I was quickly drawn to this statement:  http://thesalesblog.com/2010/01/three-thoughts-on-competitiveness-in-salespeople/

"My drive to succeed is performing at the highest level possible. To beat my previous levels of performance, and to succeed. If I only focused on beating the competition, I would hold myself to a lower standard—frankly, it’s easy to beat competitors. I would also be doing my customer a disservice, because I may not be serving them the best." -Dave Brock at Partners in Excellence On Ethics and Personal Best

Now while this statement pertains to "Salespeople", I very much loved it because for me, that's what summed it up best. I am a VERY competitive person, this is very true.  Come over for game night and you'll see just how bad I can get.  But am I in the habit of competing against friends, family, co-workers, others in the same business field, others of the opposite sex (think relationship woes)?...No, I'm not.

Everyday when I wake up, I consider how I can make today better then yesterday.  What I can do to improve upon myself or to "beat" myself at something from previous days.  Everyday is a new battle and a new competition to be a better me.  Be it through fitness, finances, education, my roll as a mother, my roll as a friend, etc.,  I look to improve.

Being in the fitness industry, you could say that it's a very competitive environment.  As trainers, if we are not constantly working hard to not only keep our own bodies and minds in tip-top shape, but working hard to keep our clients happy and looking and feeling great, we may be quickly forgotten and pushed aside by some  "new craze" piece of equipment, work out video, diet or the newly certified buff and sculpted trainer. 

 

However, I believe that in this industry, we are all fighting the same battle. The battle against obesity and poor life styles.  We are all fighting for the same win...to help someone feel just a little better about themselves.  And the reality of it is that we ALL bring something different and fresh to the table.  We are not cookies cut out of the same cutter.  We all bring different energy, enthusiasm, knowledge, skills and flat out STYLE to what we do and there are plenty of times where we learn from each other or even need each other.

I have found that as a trainer, I am the one usually doing the motivating, the cheering on, the inspiring and the provider of a certain type of knowledge and discipline.  But question...who motivates the motivator when he/she really needs that boost?  Who cheers them on and inspires them and educates them?  In this industry, it's hard to be real about our struggles when we lack motivation, encouragement and discipline.  No, we don't always wake up and want to go to the gym and beat our bodies for hours.  No, we don't always want to have salad and grilled chicken.  Yes sometimes we want to stay in bed and watch movies all day or eat a big huge cheeseburger.  Yes...it happens.

When we can look outside of ourselves and recognize that we are all in this together, we find that sometimes having that mutual "trainer friend" can be the inspiration and push we need.  They can motivate us and encourage us.  We need to stop fearing that they'll steer us wrong or, on the flip side, are out to get us and steal our shine and our clients.  If you're good at what you do then you should be fearless.  You should be confident that you're solid in what you provide and that those who follow you will know it too.

I'm super lucky to be blessed with tons of friends in this industry who do just that for me. As well as to be blessed with some amazing clients, friends and family who recognize that it is important for me to always be real with them.  And therefor are always there for me when I am having a "lazy" day or a day when I lack that extra 1% of motivation. They quickly swoop in to remind me that I have an abundance of it and to "straighten up little solider".

Today, I majorly lacked the enthusiasm to get out there and compete against myself but for reasons that, after spending a portion of the morning pondering, I have decided are not worthy of my time.  I recently attended a seminar where my good friend Mike Mahler said the following:

"Additionally, being in the wrong relationship is stressful and depressing... We human beings are highly adaptive organisms, which can lead us to dealing with lame situations instead of doing something to provoke major--positive--changes. What we do for a living, and whom we spend time with, impacts our life and it's hard to be happy in a job you hate or around people who drain you. " -Mike Mahler  http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/50happiness.html

As competitive as I am and can be, there is one area where I will NOT! compete, or allow myself to be put in a situation where I feel I need to "compete", and that is in a relationship.  Why, because that kind of competition does not make you better or even bring out your "good side".  That's the kind of competition that I'd like to refer to as "Ugly Competition" and unnecessary and I don't need to do it or associate myself with anyone that needs me to do it.  It's the kind that just like in the blog about competitiveness in sales, can bring out unethical behavior, strategies and tactics which will only result in the undoing of one's self or of the relationship.  Like I said, UNNECESSARY!!! 

"In fact, unethical behaviors are not competitive. Unethical strategies and tactics may allow a salesperson to win for a time, but in the long run those same strategies and tactics are their undoing." -S. Anthony Iannarino

It's taken me a very long time to come to terms with who I am and what I offer and most important, what I am worth.  Let's go back to the first quote here, "If I only focused on beating the competition, I would hold myself to a lower standard—frankly, it’s easy to beat competitors".   It is easy to beat the competitors because, I'm pretty darn FABULOUS and no one should ever doubt that.  The way I give working out and everything else I do, my all, I give loving someone and being in a relationship my all and I deserve NOTHING LESS.

I'm pretty simple in the things that I require, enjoy or even need to be happy and yet my day to day life requires me to be very strategic of my choices and actions because I do have two little people who need me, look up to me and above all require me to be happy.  Any time and attention that is not spent with them or on them, is precious and I deserve to be with someone who recognizes, understands and values that and will not need me to "compete"more then I already do in my regular day to day life.  I deserve someone who will be strong and cheer me on and motivate me and  ENHANCE ME.

I love, LOVE, and along with the over abundance of energy and enthusiasm that I embody, I also have an over abundance of love to give to that special someone who truly deserves it.  To quote yet again another friend:

"(I am) In the pursuit of happiness and excellence while living the dream and awaiting for Her (in my case Him) to join me" - Antonio Valverde 

I will continue to set out on this marvelous quest that is life and continue to compete against MYSELF everyday to improve and to be better at everything I do...because everything I do I do for my two angels.
The ones who truly deserve it all and then some...and hey, if I get lucky (and he gets luckier), maybe Mr. Wonderful will FIND ME! and we will be fabulous together. Appreciating each other for our likes and dislikes and just ENHANCING one an other.  Till then... time to get on the spin bike and kick my own butt.

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 Japanese phrase Masakatsu Agatsu (True Victory is Victory Over Oneself)