Combined these messengers offer both a warning and a way out. They remind us that competition in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing. That healthy competition charges us up with activated energy- the same kind of energy needed to generate movement, creation, transformation.
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The problems arise when we turn to unhealthy competition- competition born out of fear, of bitterness over sacrifice (especially when given where it wasn’t asked for), of a sense of lack. In those moments, everyone loses.
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Where in your life are you using your creative potential to tear people down? Where is your lifting someone up making you bitter- are you sacrificing yourself in places where no one asked you to? Can you feel the difference between healthy competition (the kind that inspires you to reach for the stars or create something never before seen) and fear rivalry? Which is more present in your life right now? What battles are you fighting that cannot be won by anyone because they come from a place tainted by fear?
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Abundance, creation, the pleasures of life- all are heightened and multiplied through the friction generated by things that appear opposite. We lose resiliency and become stagnant when we seek monocultures and unity through sameness. But don’t mistake aggression, war, or martyrdom for healthy competition and the uplifting of others. We must unlearn and relearn if we are to see a world where all can thrive.
August 31, 2020