#The100dayproject
High Vibe Hacks
Day 97: Mind shifting the idea of competition
Personally, I learn best by doing.
I wouldn’t do anything differently in my life because everything that I have done to date has made me a better person.
Specifically, working in Tech for over a decade.
The high-paced, high-stressed environment thrilled and excited me. However, like anything, with time, I slowly became more and more jaded dealing with colleagues, and also becoming a manager and working with direct reports.
I can honestly say, ugly aspects of myself manifested just as equally as I experienced the ugly side of others. How could this not happen? Every quarter we are measured on our performance. We were all trying to get ahead, earn more money to survive, and be successful.
Day in and out of this stress made for sleepless nights, drinking binges, and escapism. I could barely recognize myself.
The end of 2013/early 2014 was a turning point for me. I couldn’t keep up with this lifestyle anymore. Something had to give, but in my unawareness, I had no idea what.
The reason I decided to try more spiritually centered seeking was because somewhere along the way, I lost myself. I was running on old programs, burning bridges, and I felt alone and cornered.
As a child, I loved meeting new friends and thrived in changing environments. This started shifting the first time I was academically ranked and I got second honors instead of first honors in 5th grade. I remember looking at the names of those who got first honors, and vowed, I would be at the top again. Something inside of me switched.
From then on, I looked at my peers as competition. How could I be better? smarter? How could I beat them and be the best?
In some circles, this is healthy. Yet for me it fundamentally broke me. Change was desperately needed and would come 20 years later.
According to Pickthebrain.com a mind-shift is a change of focus and perception. It can have extraordinary power to make relationships more positive and healthy; to improve your focus and rate of success; and to build self-esteem and overall happiness. A mind shift is an “ah ha” moment on steroids.
My mind-shift was people-centric. I reflected on instances where I hurt people for competition sake. Maybe it was something I did, or something I said, but one thing was for sure, my conscious knew exactly where the deviant behavior lurked.
After reflection, I began observing myself with people I considered competition.
I noticed my heart would race. I would get a pang in my stomach. I noticed my mind would chatter and begin to place judgments.
I wrote it all down and carefully tracked my behavior.
Concurrently, I would take time to meditate and work on affirmations. I utilized my forgiveness practice. I Forgave myself for a cycle that happened automatically, and knew I was doing my best to break the cycle.
The change, like all things, was gradual and slow.
The change lies in my relationship to those who I might have deemed as competition before. I now look at them with awe, and curiosity, and encourage their success. I know what I see in them, is also in me, and that there is enough abundance on the planet for both of us to co-exist.
Cutting out competition from the equation has released a lot of toxicity within my body that was holding me back from truly sharing my gifts with the world. I have more freedom to explore my interests and also approach co-creation in a new way.
When I work with clients, I would love to say, things change at the snap of the fingers, but unfortunately it takes time and dedication to the change.
Questions to Ponder:
How do you react to competition?
How does it make you feel?
At what point does it become toxic rather than beneficial?
If you were to think of someone you dislike, what do you dislike about them?
Is it possible that what they poses is something lying dormant within you?
Be curious. Be honest. We are always growing and evolving.
#highvibehacks
Note: The original #100DayProject started on April 2nd 2019. This blog is a repost of the project which was originally shared on my personal Facebook and Instagram.
