Rankings, standings, polls, elections, and awards. Americans like to know where they stand and how someone or something rates. We are very competitive and quick to label something with a number.
Every day a contest seems to be taking place – Miss America, Golden Globes, Baseball Hall of Fame, Oscars, Super Bowl – not to mention the barrage of top 10 lists. There is always a race going on – politics, sports, entertainment, life. The stage and players change but the need for validation and to declare winners and losers remains high.
We are constantly comparing, battling, and sizing up one another, whether it be based on wealth, looks, intellect or some other metric. A healthy dose of competition in a capitalistic society is good – it can make each of us a little better, but the narcissism, idolatry, and greed that goes with is something we can do without. We don’t need to have people desperately resort to backstabbing, cheating, or playing to hurt another.
There are trials and challenges in life that some of us do not agree to participate in but nevertheless we are thrust into and judged by. Instead of worrying what others do or have or think, each of us should just worry about ourselves and how to continually improve our lives, and as a result, to help make the lives of others better. We all lose when we try to win all the time at any cost.
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This blog is copyrighted material by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2013 ©
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