Competition
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Gold stars
“Maybe one of these days I’ll be able to give myself a gold star for being ordinary, and maybe one of these days I’ll give myself a gold star for being extraordinary — for persisting. And maybe one day I won’t need to have a star at all.” ~Sue Bender, Plain and Simple In our early grade school years, teachers rewarded our best efforts with little gold stickers shaped like stars. Remember the delicious rush of achievement you felt every time your test came back with a gold star at the top? Even when we’re old enough to judge the quality of our own work, some of us still need…
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No contest
“Take someone who doesn’t keep score,who’s not looking to be richer, or afraid of losing,who has not the slightest interest evenin his own personality: He is free.” ~Rumi A little competition is a positive thing. It can keep us motivated and productive. In the business world, for instance, competition gives us an edge. And you can’t have much of a contest without competing against another team or contestant. Somebody’s gotta win the game, right? In today’s quote, the Sufi poet Rumi presents a different view of competition: The person who’s not desperate to come out ahead is the one who’s truly “free.” In other words, when you’re not looking over your…