How to deal with competition

So far my blog has received 131 reads! Proud of that I wanted to write some more.

Now, a slightly different topic - and at a first glimpse maybe a bit depressing one: competition in the academic life. I thought to embrace this, often quite controversial issue early in my blog. I find personally that this is something that you hear almost everyday at work, from your colleagues and friends. I cannot name anyone who has not experienced it. But how to deal with it? It's not always easy, and there is at least one day in everyone's career when I'm certain that even the most successful people question whether they are in the right field. I have seen so many books and other writings on the topic but rarely the advice is so practical or honest. Here's my thoughts on competition.

 

How can you deal with your friends being your competitors?

In a field that's highly competitive, it is almost inevitable that some of your best friends become your worst competitors. What to do then? My advice would be that when your self confidence is in place, you will be happy if your friend succeeds. If your friend gets just the job you wanted, maybe that job wasn't for you in the first place. Or perhaps she/he will be able to speak for you if another position opens up in that organisation.

The worst fear - what if I am not good enough?

I think there are two kinds of fears in this category: you feel that you are not good enough compared to others or that you are not good enough to yourself. Comparing is easy so here it's good to look in the mirror and ask yourself, why do I compare myself to this or this person? I would say it's healthy to have people to look up to, and in these cases I'd observe and learn the most I can from them. In the case of jealousy. it should go straigt to the garbace - it's only destructive.

The worst fear, however, is that you will fail yourself. What if you cannot accomplish what you have pictured yourself accomplishing? I have experienced this type of thoughts, and I bet everyone has (who has a normal self perception). To me, here it helps to think that what is my true ambition? And is it what I want to do coming from my heart? Then, even if I fail it does not matter. It's the cause, not my own accomplishment, that counts. Some good teachers have told me (this was actually from a violin lesson, though) "play the composer's music, not the instrument" - and I think this works for science as well.

How can I balance my life so that I don't get a burnout?

I have been there too, on the verge of a burnout. I had a momentarily feeling that I'm losing it and what I'm doing is pointless. Nowadays, I have comletely different attitude towards work than what I used to those days. No matter how hard you are working, there will always be people who are better than you, more hard working than you and people who will tell you that you are not working hard enough. Even if you work 24/7, you will hear this. So - don't listen to them. Make your own goals, and even if you don't reach them, it doesn't matter. Just make a new goal! It's only work after all. There's so many other things in life as well, don't ever forget that. If it starts feeling like work is too big a part of your life, take a vacation. Go to a trip, or whatever that makes yourself happy. The mind cannot be creative if we don't listen to it.

Also, rarely you will get compliments and thank yous in working environment that is very competitive and short of funding. There's no way around this, except just to get used to it. It's good to tell yourself everyday that you have made it this far, and thanking yourself for the great job you've done.


I would like to hear, what are your worst fears? How have you confronted them? Thanks for sharing!