Surprisingly, he came home early from the softball game.
“How was the game?”
“Good.”
And, that was all we got.
Later, we learned that the other team was unorganized, didn’t know the rules, and had poor pitching. In other words, it was a boring game. His team won 25-1, and the game ended early with mercy stoppage. No wonder he didn’t want to talk about the game. There wasn’t much to say!
Immediately, I thought of how important competition is in our lives not only for forward human progress, but for enjoyment. Positive competition is fun!
Competition is a huge subject that, if utilized positively as the tool it is, can bring forth not only positive human progress, but great enjoyment, fun, thrill, and exhilaration.
Types of Competition
There are many kinds of competition: group or team competition, 1:1 competition, self competition, and nature competition among other kinds. In each of these kinds, there are two types: positive and negative. So with any type of competition, it can be for benefit or not. The deliciousness of competition is found in the positive perspective.
Group/Team Competition – a group of people work together to do more than another team as in creating the highest Lego tower or to obtain the required number of points to win as in football.
1:1 Competition – individual competition as in golf or chess with one person challenging one other person.
Self Competition – improving upon a personal best as in swimming faster than last year’s time in the same event or running longer than the precious day’s run. It’s reaching personal goals.
Nature Competition – trees maneuver roots to obtain the best growing situation just like weeds grow taller than the existing foliage.
In each of these kinds of competition, it can be done with benefit or destruction.
Beneficial Competition
Beneficial competition creates the opportunity, the opening, and the avenue for future growth that was never thought of previously and never deemed possible. It can create completely new pathways in one’s life.
Once Tiger Woods made his mark on golf, the game was never going to be the same. 
And, the game of golf is still evolving as more muscular, stronger, and physically fit players are now the norm. Long gone are the slow, stagnant days of what is now considered mediocre golf stats.
In the absence of competition, life is boring. Stagnant. Commonplace. Why? Competition promotes exhilaration! Growth! Achieving what was previously thought impossible! “If so-and-so can do it, so can I!”
Just as in the case of the 25-1 shortened softball game, who wants to play such a game? It lacked life. it lacked interest. It lacked full game worthiness.
Competition makes people thrive. Competition provides the pathway to what could be. Competition drives innovation.
Non-Beneficial Competition 
When competition kills, demeans, or shuts another down, it kills, demeans, and shuts down everyone. The energy of this type of competition is quite tangible. It’s uncomfortable. To demean an opponent by any kind of social media, parade float, or newspaper article demeans everyone.
How?
ONENESS is essential to fully understanding positive competition. We are all one. We all are divine beings on this life journey on Earth. Being Divine droplets of Source, we can hurt others with negative competition. The Reiki principle says it all: When one is hurt, all are hurt. When one is helped, all are helped.
This quote means that when a team or person is being “killed” on the field, demeaned, or shut down, all that negative energy is 100% reflective and boomerangs right back the sender of that non-beneficial competition. It’s a divine law. There’s no avoiding it. The energy automatically will be returned. This is why a deep discussion with your kids about positive competition is so important. It’s a wonderfully selfish talk to have!
Fortunately, we humans have evolved beyond our gladiator days. I just can’t understand why people would attend such a type of “entertainment” because of the draining and detrimental energy that would be present at gladiator events. We humans have come a long way, yes???
With positive competition, everyone thrives. Everyone evolves. Even while experiencing a competition loss, it creates the opportunity for everyone to see a different future. Everyone gets a glimpse into what could be. Everyone thinks of how to do _________ (fill in the sport or activity) better. Everyone gets to innovate to be more tomorrow than they were today.
It is a fact: we need competition.
Boxing matches produce desires, thoughts, and action plans to be a better boxer that starts right after the winner’s hand is raised in the ring.
We could take all current sporting events and know that they produce desires, thoughts, and action plans to be a better ____________ (any sport) player that starts right after the sport’s event ending. Just as the bus ride home is quiet after a loss, the players are reviewing the game and creating ideas for the next one.
Robotics creating, chess playing, singing, woodworking, nursing, doctoring, cooking…any subject can be improved upon with positive competition. How many cooking shows are on TV? These chefs push the limits of what once was considered impossible. These chefs push the limits of possibility.
After the first ever heart transplant, “How can we do this better?” surfaced.
Immediately after a fall from a bicycle, “How can I ride a bike better?” arises.
Right after the first draft of a manuscript is completed, the author thinks, “How can I write this story better?”
After __________________, brings on, “How can we/I do _____________ better?”
Positive and beneficial competition assists greatly for all of humanity. What are we parents teaching our kids about competition? To crush, demoralize, or wipe out the competition? Or, are we speaking about competition in terms of doing one’s best then see how to do it better?
The important subject of competition is your parental opportunity to guide your children into viewing competition as a global and personal, positive energy.
