Where is the line?

Competition is an effective mechanism that keeps the gears of society moving. It makes the world go around. Basically, everything is run by the desire to win, the inclination to be the best and stay ahead of everybody. This sense of wanting to be the best is an important factor that enhances performance in every aspect. Whether it is pushing someone to do better at something they pursue or pushing big companies to better their products, competition is a fierce motivator that results in better delivery and performance. Competition lives in every aspect of life, and it is especially prevalent in the Havergal College environment. Through my experience, I’ve seen an immense number of competitive students. At Havergal, we really try to make everything a competition. From grade dodgeball games to the step challenge, we try to give students an incentive to participate by creating competition-based challenges that we know are major motivators. In some cases, the air of competition created amongst grades is beneficial because it results in more engagement and can create better bonds. As a new girl in grade nine, I found it was easiest to make friends during games against opposing Houses as I was able to bond with people whom I did not know. However, I will say that for someone who is not yet accustomed to the “Havergalian way” it can be a tad bit daunting; it definitely takes some getting used to. 

However, there must always be a balance for everything; too much of anything can be harmful, and that applies to competition as well. There is a fine line between healthy and unhealthy competition, and I believe you know you have crossed the line when you can no longer focus on anything but doing better than everyone else. A clear example of this is competition within the grades. Many times, people try to see how well others do on an assignment or test, which is pretty normal as we are all curious; however, the issue begins when people are only motivated to beat others. We should be setting goals for ourselves in regards to ourselves, not others. It should be,“I want to get a 4+ next time because I think I can do better,” not “I want to get a 4+ because so and so got it and I need to do better than them.” Healthy competition is allowing yourself to work harder to meet a higher standard and to be more focused on the journey towards achieving your goals. Unhealthy competition is fixated on the outcome, simply doing better for the sake of being better than others. 

I feel that sometimes we fail to realize we may have crossed the line, since the need to compare oneself to others is so popular that it feels second nature. It is definitely important to discuss these behavioural habits because it is important to learn to be happy for others. Sometimes competition can become so fierce that it blinds your vision from seeing the good in others’ success. To truly thrive, you must be able to learn to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy competition. One motivates you to do better and the other simply tears people down in order to help you reach the top. The goal should always be to aim to be the best version of ourselves.