It's Not A Competition...Yet

“It’s not a competition”, declares one twin toddler to the other as they munch their way through bowls of cereal at breakfast. They’ve heard me say it to them over and over as they race to be the first down the stairs, up the stairs, into the car, out of the car, out of the house and (you guessed it), into the house, any chance they get.

- Valerie Hely

But in reality, I believe there should be a couple of words for competition – one where winning really counts and the other where it’s not as important like perhaps ‘pseudo-competition’ (which I’m not sure is a thing!).

Competition is really good; a necessity even. Businesses thrive on it and we consumers benefit as a result. Sports wise it’s a must. I mean imagine the Olympic Games if there wasn’t a competitive aspect involved. Somehow I don’t think it would have the same appeal plus they’ve have to build bigger podiums to accommodate all the winners! There is a myriad of examples I could list where competition is positive. As an aside, I’m not hot on those singing/ talent competitions and how much disappointment they generate for those who don’t progress. I’m coming it as someone who took part in ‘Battle of the Bands’ competitions when I was at university. Sure they were a great platform to reach an audience and play live but at the end of the day, music is so subjective that it’s not fair to compare.