Believe it or not when I was a teenager I ran track, …ok pick your
jaw back up . One of the best things I learnt during that period was
from one of our school instructors. She advised us to always look
forward when running and not concentrate on the runners beside you,
“You may glance at your competition with the side of your eye when running, but the focus from the minute you hear the whistle should always be the finish line.” she said.
Fantastic advice, I can’t even remember her face or her name but I never forgot those words, they have helped me in my work and personal life. Which brings me back to the topic “Chasing Shadows”.
Quick question have you ever met a classmate, colleague or business associate who was so hell bent on being better than you all the time , that sometimes their attitude inched close to being termed as obsessive aggressive rivalry?
You probably wish that was a legit civil action so you could hit them with a restraining order …in all seriousness it is a very uncomfortable position to be in.Some individuals are so obsessed with being better than their competition they miss out on actually putting out great work that might take them from obscurity to the center stage.
SHADOW NIGHTMARES:
I honestly do not understand the mindset of some people who believe everybody is out to get them. We could all be working on the same project and they would be literally peering over their shoulder to see if anyone is coming to steal their contributions, they tactfully do not send in their assignments until everyone else has submitted theirs and they have reviewed and vetted that theirs is better.
Every Subordinate is out to take their spot and every supervisor is keen to replace them with someone else. I literally believe these folks do not sleep at night, instead they lay restless on their bed, staring at the ceiling thinking of how to displace X and Y before they get displaced themselves.Sad
RELAX:
There is a brand of noodles in Nigeria that has remained at the top spot for several years, so many have tried to displace them but they remain the most popular noodles brand in the country.Some came as copycats. trying to mimic every single thing down to the color of their packaging but that did not work, Others came with dirty tricks, they sponsored a campaign trying to convince the public that this particular brand of noodles led to some deaths, That worked for maybe a couple of months but with targeted commercials and information the negativity fizzled out and all that propaganda led to nothing as that brand of noodles still remains the no 1 noodles in Nigeria.Why you may ask, very easy answer Quality. Their competition could not match them in quality.
Build yourself, set yourself apart from the rest of the pack, it does not matter if you are a student, self-employed business man, an Employee in a fortune 500 company or an employee in a small Five man team. Having sleepless nights about the competition is not the answer, find innovative ways to provide solutions and Relax.
There is a certain attraction to confidence rather than desperation.
GROW:
It is also important not to remain stagnant no matter the position you find yourself, if you are No 1 don’t stop moving thinking you have made it, keep learning and keep growing.
It is a Big world but if you are waiting for the speech that there is enough room for everyone…well maybe in the last century , now you need to quit thinking like everyone else and find out what makes you stand out. It’s fine to glance at the competition once in a while but that’s because you need to understand where you are and where you ought to be.
If you keep looking around trying to find shadows you will never win this race. Keep your eyes on the finish line and never stop moving .
Shadows…when your light is so bright there will be no place for them in your tent.
“You may glance at your competition with the side of your eye when running, but the focus from the minute you hear the whistle should always be the finish line.” she said.
Fantastic advice, I can’t even remember her face or her name but I never forgot those words, they have helped me in my work and personal life. Which brings me back to the topic “Chasing Shadows”.
Quick question have you ever met a classmate, colleague or business associate who was so hell bent on being better than you all the time , that sometimes their attitude inched close to being termed as obsessive aggressive rivalry?
You probably wish that was a legit civil action so you could hit them with a restraining order …in all seriousness it is a very uncomfortable position to be in.Some individuals are so obsessed with being better than their competition they miss out on actually putting out great work that might take them from obscurity to the center stage.
SHADOW NIGHTMARES:
I honestly do not understand the mindset of some people who believe everybody is out to get them. We could all be working on the same project and they would be literally peering over their shoulder to see if anyone is coming to steal their contributions, they tactfully do not send in their assignments until everyone else has submitted theirs and they have reviewed and vetted that theirs is better.
Every Subordinate is out to take their spot and every supervisor is keen to replace them with someone else. I literally believe these folks do not sleep at night, instead they lay restless on their bed, staring at the ceiling thinking of how to displace X and Y before they get displaced themselves.Sad
RELAX:
There is a brand of noodles in Nigeria that has remained at the top spot for several years, so many have tried to displace them but they remain the most popular noodles brand in the country.Some came as copycats. trying to mimic every single thing down to the color of their packaging but that did not work, Others came with dirty tricks, they sponsored a campaign trying to convince the public that this particular brand of noodles led to some deaths, That worked for maybe a couple of months but with targeted commercials and information the negativity fizzled out and all that propaganda led to nothing as that brand of noodles still remains the no 1 noodles in Nigeria.Why you may ask, very easy answer Quality. Their competition could not match them in quality.
Build yourself, set yourself apart from the rest of the pack, it does not matter if you are a student, self-employed business man, an Employee in a fortune 500 company or an employee in a small Five man team. Having sleepless nights about the competition is not the answer, find innovative ways to provide solutions and Relax.
There is a certain attraction to confidence rather than desperation.
GROW:
It is also important not to remain stagnant no matter the position you find yourself, if you are No 1 don’t stop moving thinking you have made it, keep learning and keep growing.
It is a Big world but if you are waiting for the speech that there is enough room for everyone…well maybe in the last century , now you need to quit thinking like everyone else and find out what makes you stand out. It’s fine to glance at the competition once in a while but that’s because you need to understand where you are and where you ought to be.
If you keep looking around trying to find shadows you will never win this race. Keep your eyes on the finish line and never stop moving .
Shadows…when your light is so bright there will be no place for them in your tent.
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