Are We All Losing Our Competitive Drive?
By admin
This morning kicked off something amazing: pumpkin walnut pancakes (wheat-free of course) and an amazing iced pumpkin latte.
Now that today is the official first day of fall, I feel that I can load my food up with as much pumpkin, cinnamon, walnuts, and apples that I want.
But not all at once, of course.
Happy Fall!
Now, let’s talk competition.
Would you describe yourself as competitive?
If Everyone Gets A Medal Than What’s The Point?
I grew up right on the brink of change. While I was taught that not everyone gets a trophy, that you lose some you win some, and that you have to work to be the best… kids just a few years younger were taught something very different:
Everyone is a winner, if you tried then that’s all that counts, and 10th place is just as good as 1st.
Ummm, I’m sorry but I have to disagree.
That’s just stupid.
And it’s affecting performances later in life.
I recently read an article, The Slowest Generation: Younger Athletes Are Racing Less About Concern About Time.
Writer, Kevin Helliker, tells a sad tale.
That younger people just don’t care as much about performance. They would rather do an “event” like a Tough Mudder or Color Run (both of which are untimed) than to get out and do their best during a race.
They have no incentive, no drive to get out and push themselves beyond their comfort zone.
They’re Losing Their Competitive Drive
As he puts it:
They’re {kids these days} just not very fast. “There’s not as many super-competitive athletes today as when the baby boomers were in their 20s and 30s,” said Ryan Lamppa, spokesman for Running USA, an industry-funded research group. While noting the health benefits that endurance racing confers regardless of pace, Lamppa—a 54-year-old competitive runner—said, “Many new runners come from a mind-set where everyone gets a medal and it’s good enough just to finish.”
Now, a generational battle is raging in endurance athletics. Old-timers are suggesting that performance-related apathy among young amateur athletes helps explain why America hasn’t won an Olympic marathon medal since 2004.
Of the two Americans who won marathon medals that year, one—Deena Kastor, who is now 40—was the top finishing American woman at the marathon World Championships in Moscow last month. The other—38-year-old Meb Keflezighi—was the top American male finisher at the London Olympics marathon last year. Hunter Kemper, the 37-year-old winner of last month’s Chicago Triathlon, remains arguably America’s top triathlete as he aims for his fifth Olympics.
Competition Else Where
As soon as I read this article, my immediate reaction was one of disappointment. These are my people, and many of you are likely in the same age group.
If the younger generation is not competitive with their physical performances, likely they are less competitive in other aspects of life, more specifically, jobs.
I’m sorry but if you want to get anywhere in life, you have to have a twinge of competitiveness inside. You have to want to be the best, to create the best, and beat the best to rise to the top… and if you don’t then what great accomplishments will we see?
Will there be any more Steve Jobs? Howard Schultzes? Oprah Winfreys? Steven Spielburgs?
Makes me nervous. I sure hope I’m just being a drama queen on this one.
Just do me a favor… and ask yourself:
“Am I competitive where I need to be?”
If the answer is “yes”, give yourself a pat on the back. If “no”, think about what you can do to get the passion and drive that you need.
Am I Competitive?
Umm, if you’ve been a long time reader of Lifting Revolution then you know the answer to this question. If you’re new (well, hello!) then I’ll fill you in on a secret… I’m extremely competitive. Mostly with myself… even as a kid I set high expectations. I was the kid that called home crying in college when I got a C in Organic Chem.
Toss me in a race and I will do everything that I can to run the best race possible. A fun run? I simply don’t know what that means. I’m not paying $ 50+ to run 3 miles and not have a time to show for it at the end (unless it’s for a benefit like this one).
And when it comes to business, I have to be competitive to create the business that Dan and I have envisioned.
I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on this and Helliker’s article!
Weekend Highlights
Before I head out to film some workouts and spend time with my family, I thought I would share a few pictures off my phone from this weekend.
Dan and I had a delicious anniversary dinner at Cypress, here in Charleston.
I took more pictures, but unfortunately the lighting wasn’t picture friendly. That crab cake was ALL CRAB! So good!
And then Saturday, I hit the roads for a 11.5 mile run. Finally! One of those runs that felt great and I loved each mile of it (well, maybe not while I was going over the bridge).
The sun starting to come up over the horizon…
Up a bit higher, and getting warmer by the mile!
Up just in time for me to tackle the bridge!
What did you do this weekend?
Are you competitive?