I love writing about competition! In its purest form, it is beautiful, useful, and beneficial. I explain below:

Through team cohesion, focused thought, and attention to skill, middle schoolers (could be any middle schoolers anywhere) achieved permission to complete at the State Science Olympiad Competition in April 2023. From the regional experience, they stretched themselves, believed in themselves, worked together, and won. They also expanded together. Expansion is the point of all competition.

So…what do you think these students and coaches are doing now? You guessed it. They are planning for more expansion! Each of them is saying, “If we did that, what else can we do? What can we experience next at the state level?”

Competition by itself is positive. It promotes the idea of opportunity. It emanates creation possibilities. It allows one’s mind to consider never-thought-of-before thoughts.

For example, if a college class creates a robot specific for Alzheimer patients, and they receive multiple awards and accolades for this creation plus large sums of money for the college, what happens next? Not only can these college students post such an achievement on their resumes, but they say, If we did that, what else can we do?”

In addition, this particular college’s rivalry just down the road two hours, says to itself, “If they did that, what can we do?” Within a short amount of time, funding becomes available, professors organize groups of students, a robotics lab is updated, and creation of an even better robot specific for Alzheimer patients begins. Ahhhh…perfect competition.

Who benefits?

All will benefit as long as the competition remains in its purest form: expansion. The following quote is often associated with Mother Teresa: “I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.” As long as competition is observed and conducted in a “pro” fashion, it is a wonderful aspect of our Earthly living.

When competition becomes US vs. THEM with them being dishonored, demeaned, or damaged in some way, competition loses its helpfulness to society. Pep rallies that focus on humiliating the other team hurts both teams. Where is the team’s focus with so much effort being put into yelling negative chants about the opposition? It’s not on team cohesion, focused thought, and attention to skill. The focused thought is now fractured.

Competition of any type can be observed through a “We are going to annihilate them,” mentality or a, “We are going to give our best,” mentality. Personally, I believe it is time for all of us to embrace a new standard of competition and to observe sports, such as in football, as a thrilling opportunity to witness what expansion the players have been able to achieve since the last game – a display of humans demonstrating their best.

At any children’s competition event, what do you see? I see miles and miles of road traveled as parents take kids to practices. I see many dollars exchanged for sports equipment. I see parents waiting hours for practice’s end so they can grab something for dinner. I see parental dedication to providing their offspring the opportunity to develop their full potential with the aid of positive competition.

What do you see?

This is a SECRET of life that I have known about for years, but it is just becoming very real to me this year. Not for any particular reason. It is just becoming more integrated into my daily life, fortunately. Sometimes, those things we were told, taught, or learned a long time ago suddenly become real, pertinent, and integrated. So I thought this secret to living well, loving the weaknesses of your life leads to empowerment, would be a great topic for a blog.

For a long time now, I’ve been writing about utilizing the negative things, people, and events in our lives for the highest good of all. I strongly suggest when something hugely uncomfortable occurs:

• Turn it around!
• Use it for your benefit!
• Search for how you can grow from it!
• Observe what is behind the situation!

I feel as if I need a megaphone to talk about this because it’s going to happen: mistakes, goofs, mess ups, problem, and curious interactions. When they happen and since life is for us, then let’s use each and every thing, person, and event to expand, grow, and ascend…be more than we were before it happened.

We all need this reminder, however, because it is just too easy to slip into victimhood. To get ensnared. To become enveloped with the drama or trauma of the situation. To become overwhelmed with the details. The good news is that while your life is relatively calm in this moment, now is the time to teach yourself what to do when the next uncomfortable situation occurs. The good news is that there is very good news about these events of life.

Some events of life happen suddenly such as a car accident or someone died unexpectedly. Some events of life happen slowly almost undetectable such as unnecessary weight gain or disease. “That which we resist, persists.” Renowned Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung (1875–1961), stated in his simple, yet very profound sentence how life on Earth works. What is resisting? Applying judgment to a particular event or personal attribute is resistance. It is resisting that which is currently happening.

This resisting brings upon the events we don’t want. The truth is we are perfect creation no matter how we look or what we’ve done. Any judgment about what is happening or how we look is resisting, and therefore, keeping that which is unwanted around in negative form. If you want things to continue as is, look at it angrily and it’ll keep showing up. Hate what happened, and it’ll keep showing up again and again or it’ll permanently be a part of your life.

So, if there is something that we want to change, we change the resistance to love. Simple, right? Maybe? No? Yes? It takes time, which is why this secret of living well has taken soooo long for me to integrate it into my life. I’m catching myself resisting and then switching it to love. It’s absolutely freeeeeeeeeeeeing!

When your kiddos are doing something that you don’t like, switch to love. Look at what they are doing well. Observe his or her cute nose. Her enthusiasm for life. His determination to practice basketball. If his growing, smelly feet are unbearable, find a solution for the stench while being amazed that your 7-9 oz baby is now growing like a weed. 

Complaining about stinky feet will just enhance the experience until it might escalate to dramatic proportions! Think this is a silly scenario? People go far beyond the norm with negative situations all day every day. One click of the TV, and you’ll know what I’m referring to. They are so focused on what they don’t want to happen. This is adding onto it, unfortunately.  The secret to living well is to focus on what you want.

In the case of weight gain, loving the excess fat is the way to weigh less. Enjoying healthy foods along with an increased of water intake instead of dreading another salad and having to pee more often is the way to release excess fat.

In the case of disease, let the doctors take care of the disease while you love, list, focus upon, and talk about how wonderful all the other healthy cells in your body. Be amazed how they are functioning well.

This shift is empowering. It is an important technique to model and teach to your kiddos. Life is going to happen. Those curious, and sometimes uncomfortable, situations of life will occur. We empowered beings have choice! We can resist what is happening or turn our focus to what is pleasant, healthy, and good. Live empoweredly in The Land of Possibilities!