I was recently asked if I was always competitive or if it developed over time.
Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m extremely competitive. If we’re playing a game “for fun,” to me that means I’m playing to win. People who play without keeping track of score have a completely different mindset from me.
I’m certainly a more healthy competitive than I used to be. When I was younger, if I didn’t win a game, I would get intensely angry. Whether at myself or at people on my team if I had teammates. Now, I do *usually* enjoy playing a game, even if I don’t win. Though I need to at least play well. If I play poorly and I lose, I rarely get any enjoyment out of the game.
I’ve realized the competitive nature that I have has a huge advantage, even in mindset. When there is a task to get done at work, even if it is a small, repetitive task, I don’t do it slowly. It’s against my nature. Not even because I want to help the company by working faster, though that’s an advantage, but it’s because I feel like I’m losing if I’m doing it slowly. I have to find the most efficient way of doing it. How can I make the best use of the time and tools that I have?
The truth is, I think part of my competitive nature is in my blood. In my family’s blood. The rest was developed over the first few years of my existence by having 5 older sisters who treated me as an equal in many ways. There were no free handouts when we were playing games. Either I won like a big kid, or I lost like a big kid. No babying.
That advantage has helped me immensely in the roles that I’ve had in my life. I’m extremely grateful for it.