The Success Trap
- Publication Editor
- Apr 30, 2024
- 2 min read
| By Prem Lee |
Why do we get caught up in the maelstrom of competition? Why am I trying to outdo the other person? Our whole life seems to be built around this.
Games are fun till they become competitive. Why do they become competitive? Because people will only watch if it is competitive. So the commercialization of much of what we do, has made us part of a competitive world that seems to have no exit.
But there is an exit. I drop out of the competitive world into the world of cooperation and love.
That means in school I learn my subject to know the subject, and not just to do well in the exam. Since I am non-competitive, I use my knowledge to teach and help other students who are finding it difficult.
My identity is no longer SUCCESS, but my identity is the helpful person in the group. If I can get away from the false lure of SUCCESS and be content with the abilities God has given me to just be a blessing, my life becomes happier and more flourishing than when we chase after success.
In the long run it enables us to build strong teams and achieve much more at the work place than competing does. We become catalysts to production that does not cut the throat of others.
But, you may ask, if success is not my motivator, then what is? The answer is simple. God is my motivator. I recognize all contexts that I find myself in as from God, and I seek to find and fulfil God’s will and purpose wherever I am. The motivation to serve God is far greater than to win or be successful.