: Lamento :
Posted: October 3, 2014 Filed under: Meditation, Yoga | Tags: blogging, compassion, Competing, culture, cycling, Cyclocross, exercise, family, fitness, free range, freshly pressed, gluten free, gratitude, happiness, health, hipster, kindness, life, love, lululemon, marathon, meditation, Mindfulness, motivation, musings, natural, nature, Omaha, paleo, passion, perspective, running, whole foods, Winning, yoga, Zen 6 CommentsFame you’ll be famous, as famous as can be, with everyone watching you win on TV, Except when they don’t because sometimes they won’t-
Watching a cycling (running – whatever) event affords both participants and spectators alike, an intense experience of competition, and if we pay close enough attention – An unfettered obsession with winning. Many hard-working, competing riders define success as a podium finish and anything else as an utter failure.
How do we address competition and competing in a different way?
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Opening up and pouring my spirit before you … Winning is an outcome. When I become obsessed with the outcome, rather than the moment – I lose sight of the journey, I lose sight of my true spirit and how I arrived in this magical moment. I lose appreciation of simply being and my sole focus on is on me … And sometimes, I don’t enjoy this side of “me“.
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Our culture is obsessed with winning, often at any cost and by any means. Once we have tasted winning, we need more of it – Winning is an addiction. The alluring pleasure, the rush of winning is fleeting, unlike the deep-rooted satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best. Winning makes people focus outside themselves for validation of their self-worth.
Daily Meditation:
My past obsession with competition and winning, restrained me from engaging in a personal journey of self-knowledge and finding my place in life. This journey is entirely an internal and personal process, not one that requires a podium finish or constant competition with others as a measure of my true self-worth.
Yes,yes, yes! This is beautiful! Exactly what I needed today. Teaching that competing is good, hard work is good. It’s about the process and our own successes to get where we are. Not how we measure up against others.
I hope you had an amazing, peaceful weekend and thank you so much for your kind comment. 🙂
“Winning makes people focus outside themselves for validation of their self worth.” Thank you for explaining so succinctly the problem I have always had with competition. Often, competition just feels wrong – and that’s why.
You are too kind my friend … It has taken me quite some time to put into words how I have been feeling in regards to competing and competition – Take care today and please be well. 🙂
Very necessary. Thank you!
I should be the one thanking you for visiting – Take care and be well!