Competition

Lately, I've been noticing how competitive I can be.  My competitiveness seems to be surfacing in the strangest situations.  I recently joined my neighborhood fitness center and have been going to various workout classes.  Because of my competitive nature, I find that I have a much better work out in class because I want to be the best in the room, so I end up pushing myself.  My competitive spirit also reared it's head during Yoga, of all things!  There's one lady in the class who rocks at Yoga, so I found myself holding poses longer and going deeper into stretches with the mindset of, "If she can do, so can I."  And again, this competitiveness is making me a better Yogi. 

My first instinct in seeing my competitive side surface was to suppress it, thinking "you don't have to be the best, just do your best."  But then I thought, if being competitive is making me work harder and push myself beyond what I think I can do, then it's all good.

I guess I've always been competitive, but haven't found myself in situations where it's come to the surface.  I did see glimpses of it when I was living in Milwaukee and booking gigs.  My friend, the fabulous singer Jeannine Rivers, and I definitely had a unspoken, friendly competition going.  I would find myself checking her website and seeing how many bookings she had and then get stirred to action if she had more than me.  That got me on the phone book and on the net researching new places to perform.  I even went after gigs and places she played.  That's right, I'm not afraid to admit it 'cause I know she was doing the same thing ... LOL!  (Jeannine, if you're reading this I just have one thing to say ... "Twist 'N Olive" ... LOL).  That friendly competition with Jeannine kept my calendar filled because I was not going to be outdone!

So many people have asked me if I'd try out for one of the reality shows like "American Idol" or "Britain's Got Talent."  I always say "no" because I can't imagine putting myself under that type of pressure.  However, I have entered a local contest based on one of these shows called "Concorde's Got Talent."  I auditioned for the competition on September 25th and was put through to the Semi-Finals, which are being held tonight ... YIPS!  My competitive nature is stirred up more than ever.  I've got seven minutes to wow the judges and the audience and I haven't been this dedicated to rehearsing and fine tuning my performance in a very long time. 

With this competition, though, I don't feel the need to be the best singer.  I'm focusing on giving the best performance that I can possibly give, and I've been rehearsing and preparing to do just that.  Don't get me wrong, I WANT to win, but I also want to absorb the lesson that I'm to learn from this experience.  It's given me such a boost that I'm thinking, maybe I will try out for Britain's "X Factor" next year, especially since they're doing the over 28s category.  You never know, right!

So, I said all that to say this ... a little "healthy" competition is a great tool to make you the best that you can be.  If you find that you have a bit of a competitive nature, use it to help you grow at whatever it is you're endeavoring to do!  Win or lose, I guarantee you'll discover a little bit more about what you're really made of.

Jeannine recently told me that she may be moving to London to go to school.  It seems Jeannine will be keeping me on my toes, even in England ... bring it on, sister!!