Typically, competition can be a great motivator to help push a person to a higher level. Nothing like feeling the breath of an adversary on the back of your neck to motivate you to dig deeper and drive forward. However one of the biggest challenges I face as an instructor is keeping the competitive nature of my students healthy and positive. So many lose motivation and become discouraged when they compare themselves and believe they are not progressing as rapidly as their peers. Some question their self worth while others become bitter and direct their animosity toward their peers and their instructors. In this state a student is trapped in a cycle of progress paralysis - a self perpetuating attitude that promotes inertia by justifying mediocre results without accepting responsibility.I use several techniques to maintain a positive attitude and avoid progress paralysis.
Celebrate Personal Victories
I end every day by meditating and reviewing the events of my day. Every day is filled with accomplishments, progress, and opportunities. These gifts can become lost if one does not take the time to reflect upon them - especially when a day has also been filled with stress and challenges. Taking the time to be thankful for your victories keeps things in perspective because sometimes we spend too much time looking at where we want to be rather than looking at how far we have come.
Congratulate Others
I make a habit of congratulating others on their progress and accomplishments. Unhealthy competition is promoted when others’ accomplishments are viewed as a negative reflection of your own accomplishments. Positively acknowledging the accomplishments of your peers reminds you that personal growth is accomplished through personal effort, not by the success or failure of someone else. This technique helps you stay accountable by keeping your own progress personal, independent, and within the realm of your control
Keep a Journal
Documenting your goals and accomplishments creates an accurate perspective that helps maintain focus on what is important for growth. Logging your daily progress establishes healthy competition within oneself and motivates one to push beyond the arbitrary limits we set for ourselves.
Double Your Failure Rate
People who unhealthily compete tend to not venture beyond their comfort zone or their current skill set. Fear of losing or embarrassment motivates people to stick to what they are good at and therefore limit growth and improvement. If one embraces change and accepts failure as a natural temporary result of effort, new tools and skills are acquired and focus returns to the challenge competing with oneself.
Kung fu’s ultimate goal is self improvement. If one keeps that goal in front of them it becomes apparent that competing with another contradicts your ultimate objective. The only person you must surpass is the person you were when you woke up this morning.
Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition -- in having put forth the best within you.
- Henry J. Kaiser (1882 - 1967)
1 comment:
The San Shou class has caused me to radically alter the way I view competition. I originally felt that in the martial arts, it should be avoided. However, in my first few months of teaching the San Shou I witnessed an incredibly positive atmosphere develop. The members of that class, by and large, use competition to encourage their peers to improve. Students will help others by giving tips and pointing out flaws in technique, giving a friendly warning that in the next match they will be watching for it. As a result of the atmosphere of healthy competition the San Shou members are some of the finest fighters in the school.
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