Your family and friends often counsel you to stop comparing yourself to others, because after all, there will always be more fortunate and better people than you. No one wants to feel inadequate and a loser in the face of a much better competition, but is it better to avoid it altogether?

Competition Means Growth
There are valid reasons to stop unhealthy comparison with other people, but if you lose the desire to compete, you’re also limiting self-growth. If you didn’t have rivals at school for example, would you try harder to win those contests or top the exams? They can also serve as your inspiration or as a goal that you need to surpass to make yourself a better person.

Competition Means More Opinions
In the business world, competition is essential, especially if you use your rivals as a reference for ideal customer service. Companies will strive to outdo each other if they see a business strategy that is working. This in turn will lead to more creativity when it comes to business models, making it possible to come up with different ideas that are unique. Savvy entrepreneurs will always question common knowledge and improvise.

Competition Brings Out the Best
Not only do you see healthy competition at work, school, and business, but in almost all aspects of life, too. People always strive to outdo each other for various reasons, but you shouldn’t see this as selfish and jealous. As long as rivalry can lead to a lot of good things, then it’s not something that should be discouraged. If you look at history, most of the ideas, inventions, and creations that advanced civilization were also products of competition.

Competition Creates Experience
There will always be winners and losers, but that does not mean you should stop striving to become better. The growth that comes with competition comes from turning losses into a positive learning experience. That is why parents who shelter their kids from a competitive environment at school are also taking away opportunities for the child to grow and learn. Doing that will make them less prepared for the real world, after all, competition also gives the child an opportunity to exercise emotional control and cooperation.

Competition Creates a Goal
If you’re striving to make yourself better, you’re also more likely to take chances because you have a goal in mind. You will be inspired to work harder if you know you’re working for something or someone. More chances mean more opportunities to live life to the fullest. Take competition away and people will become lazy, because they don’t have any reason to grow and learn.