What does being competitive mean to you? Some people hate competition. Others compete for the thrill of the fight. Athletes compete to win. Businesses compete to earn and grow, but in your everyday life, how do you compete? How does it benefit you?

I'm definitely competitive about the things I'm most passionate about and reaching my goals. I compete with myself more often than with others, pushing myself to work harder and excel. On the other hand, competing out of jealousy or insecurity makes you look weaker in the end. Don't fool yourself into thinking people won't notice, because they will.

So, what are some benefits to being competitive? Being competitive:

1. Drives you to achieve. It pushes you to reach and go beyond your goals when you compete with yourself or others for a prize or win.
2. Pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you're in your comfort zone you're not competing. It's okay to feel uncomfortable while you stretch yourself to grow. If you're building stamina you get to a point of discomfort before you can move past it.
3. Raises the bar. If your goal is out of reach, and you care about the outcome, you will compete with yourself or another to achieve success.
4. Keeps your skills sharp. If you get lazy, others will move ahead of you. It's easy to grow lazy especially if your surroundings and company are too. This applies to health, manners, work and more.
5. Reveals what motivates you. You won't be competitive about things you don't care that much about. Being average works in those areas. I care about yoga, and achieved my  teaching certification. I'm okay being a 5k runner and have little desire to run more.

You don't have to compete in every area of your life, and don't forget to have fun and laugh along the way. Choose when to be competitive, and use competition to take you to the next level because you can!