Thoughts on Competition

Competition by the book means is a contest between individuals, groups, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or a location of resources. It arises whenever at least two parties strive for a goal which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment.

To me, Competition is putting your skills up against another person to see how you would fair in something. Competition isn't about winning and losing, but more about how much you've grown and improved on something. I usually view competitions as learning experiences when I am involved in them. Whenever I am in a competition whether it comes to sports or playing video games, I usually try to improve on how I did previously, because I hate to stay stagnant in an area.

When we talked in class about competition and how some people didn't like it because it makes the people that don't win feel bad and like they failed, but others view competition as being necessary because how can you tell who's better if you do not put your skills to the test. I can see both sides, but in my opinion, you shouldn't view competition as the "end all, be all", but as a way to just have fun. Competition is like a double edge sword, it can be the worst thing if you take it to heart, you will not enjoy yourself because you are so focused on winning, rather than having fun. It's about having fun and bettering yourself and meeting new people.

In the Coop vs. Competition article, where John Tauer and his Grad professor were trying to figure out which was better; Cooperation, Competition, or maybe both. They used shooting free throws as the test and used shooting them by themselves, all cooperatively,, in a straight competition, or in a team base competitions. After everything was done, they had the kids fill out a survey and the results were surprising because the kids had the most fun having a competition, but as a team rather than solo. When it comes to competition, I am the same way, but if I'm in a competition by myself, I will still have fun doing it. I, like them, feel you need to have a mix of both because while you're in a group, you have a chance of interacting with other people and making bonds with people rather than being by yourself.

When it comes to building teams, I find that competition usually brings people together, because you and the people that you are with all share a common goal and want to work together to achieve that goal. To me, actually getting to know your team is way more important than getting the job done because knowing how each member acts and reacts to certain situations will make setting roles easier and shows how each persons' strengths and weaknesses will mix together. You want people that will be responsible and respect each others' feelings and opinions, but know when to get the job done.