Last night one of my participants made a comment about the fact that we often play competitive games in class. To paraphrase her: “I don’t come here to compete with other people, I just want to compete with myself.” In 13 years of coaching people, I’ve probably heard this sentiment expressed hundreds of times, and I’ve addressed the issue on more occasions than I can count. Yet on this cold November morning, I am inspired to express my thoughts on the subject once again.
We (human beings) are wired to compete. Competition is a basic survival instinct that has served our species well for over 100,000 years.
In the Hybrid program, we love to compete. Why? Because competing with each other, can help us find the best within ourselves. It can help us find out what we’re made of, and motivate us to be better than we are.
Some people think that this is bad. It’s insensitive to people’s feelings, or too intense - or both. They think that fostering competition is not an effective coaching strategy. Truth be told, this method does not work for everybody. However, it’s the way we do things around here, and it’s likely not going to change.
You see, I don’t believe in making things easy, or sugar-coating reality so you can feel better about yourself in the short-term. I want you to be the best that you can be. To achieve this, I must challenge you to reach outside your comfort zone.
That said, I understand that trusting a complete stranger to have your best interests at heart, requires a leap of faith. I could go on and write another paragraph about my credentials, my experience, blah, blah, blah. But I’m not really into that, and besides, actions and results speak louder than words anyways.
So, I guess I’m hoping that you’ll trust me enough to take that leap of faith. I’m hoping that you’ll take a chance on me, and most importantly - take a chance on yourself.