Are you an ultra-competitive person?
In life, there are proper times and situations where keeping score makes sense, but how do you know when a competition is beneficial? In some circumstances, being overly competitive can be very harmful to your relationships with others. Are you someone who must win at all costs? When do you dial it back? In the #CJJblog this week, I give you some examples of when (and when not) keeping score makes sense. Enjoy.
- (YES) Health. You should be as diligent as possible when it comes to your health. Are you monitoring your water intake each day? Do you make and keep exercise appointments with yourself? You should also keep score on how you are tracking toward your health goals.
- (YES) Skill development. As a former basketball coach for four decades, I always tracked certain metrics that illustrated a team members progress. Are they shooting a higher percentage? Have we improved our defense? It is these skill development metrics that allow us to track our growth.
- (YES) Gain goals. Do you keep score on your goals you set for yourself? If you don’t (i.e. you just set hollow goals for yourself), you are selling yourself short. Delve deeper into your goals and what you are specifically doing to accomplish them.
- (YES) Updates. Have check-ins with yourself: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual status updates are all necessary as you are measuring your growth toward your goals.
- (YES) MVPs. Most Valuable Priorities. Are you prioritizing properly? I recommend identifying at least one (max three) high priority for yourself each day.
- (YES) Finances. Are you staying on top of your finances? What does that mean to you? Are you aware of your income, how much you spend each month, how much you are saving, how much debt you have, and your net worth? These can be tricky to calculate, but the value this knowledge will bring to your life is immeasurable.
- (NO) Relationships. You should never be in a position where you are telling a friend, family member, or coworker “I do more than you…” This creates an unhealthy competition that can lead to unnecessary stress and frustration.
- (NO) Leadership. Servant leadership is about serving others while expecting nothing in return. The thought of “I helped you, now you must help me” should never cross your mind.
*Bonus thought: Being nice does not entitle you to anything. Always remember that the more you give, the more you (naturally) receive.
Did You Know? Coach Jim Johnson will be speaking next week – Tuesday, March 16th – to a high school class here in Rochester, NY on leadership and making your dreams come true.
Life Tip #27: Go the extra mile, there are no traffic jams on the extra mile
Deckard & Company