Competition has always had a double-edged ring to it. Many have risen to its challenge and prevailed while some fumbled along the way and swore never again. Given the fact that competition comes with pressure, most of the time in its extreme form because of the desire to win, it cannot be denied that it teaches us many things in relation to handling life.

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Win Some, Lose Some

Unless you happen to live in Fairy Land where all your wishes are granted, you ought to know that in life, we win some and lose some. Competition in its most ideal sense can teach us to be magnanimous in winning and to be graceful in losing. False humility or concealed bragging is not magnanimous at all. Winners have every right to be proud of a victory that has been truly worked for and a simple acceptance of praises and congratulatory greetings works best.

It is natural to feel bad or disappointed in losing and to feel otherwise is quite surprising. It has to be remembered however that losing is not equivalent to lesser value particularly as a person. It simply means that the opponent was just better in specific aspects as determined by competition rules. At best, a losing competitor should learn something from the defeat and move on to be better.

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Motivation and Discovery of Capabilities

Competition can motivate a person to do more than his usual efforts. Faced with real competition, a participant is forced to dig deeper into himself, often discovering other capabilities he never thought he had. A worthy competitor makes the exercise fruitful, win or lose, as it works to encourage leveling-up of self-standards in competing. In the end, our only remaining competitor is ourselves.

Many recognized champions did not start winning at once. It took a lot of humbling experiences in learning and losing. A real winner is one who prevails in spite of the odds. It is about giving one’s best regardless of the prevailing conditions.

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Winning Attitude

Participating in competitions develops the winning attitude specifically for those who recognize its value regardless of the outcome. To be a chosen as a participant is a victory in itself since not everybody is given the same opportunity. Each experience works to sharpen and refine skills until winning is the only likely result for persevering.

The winning attitude is not only applicable to competitions. It is something that can work for us in every aspect of life. Winning is not everything but that is not an excuse to be content in losing forever.

My Say

Competing can be scary because there is always the possibility of losing. Even in winning, there is always the added pressure of maintaining the win. We will not always be called upon to compete but we should not shy away from it whenever the opportunity presents itself. We can all learn from competition which is part of growth and of life.

Photo Credits: Sarrah Jane Cea

Photos taken during the Dep Ed 2015 Division Schools Press Conference

Theme: The Role of 21st Century Campus Journalists in Upholding Good Governance, Leadership, and Transparency