My Third Blog Post

 

The Pros and Cons of Being a Competitive Person

Being competitive has many pros and cons. There are pros such as being more focused and studious, and there are cons, such as stress and pressure, that even affects kids who don’t need all of that unnecessary anxiety. Here are the pros and cons of being competitive. 

Setting your goals higher than others can help you work harder, and as a result: do better. Even if someone else wins in the end, you won’t feel like a sore loser, because you have done everything to achieve your best. According to author Kelly Benamati, in the article The Pros and Cons of Having a Competitive Personality,”People who are highly competitive typically preserve until they reach their desired goals, they don’t give up easily and they study the best of the best in any specified area they are striving to be competitive in so they can also be the best of the best.” This proves that when people have the right motivation, and set goals for themselves, it is okay to be a little competitive. 

Another thing that gives people motivation, is the excitement that competitions bring. According to author Mara Agner, in the article The Pros and Cons of Being Competitive,”Making the competition like a game can be fun especially if there is a reward at stake. It makes working hard less difficult and more enjoyable.” Making a competition into a game can make it more exciting, and enjoyable. 

However, when you focus too much on those you are up against, it can end up being too stressful, and make you unprepared for whatever the competition may be. 

According to author Kelly Benamati, in the article The Pros and Cons of Having a Competitive Personality,”There also can be a positive correlation with an onset of (GAD) Generalized Anxiety Disorder as highly competitive natures tend to stress some people out if they don't win and always doing, being, having, studying, one upping, and doing everything they can do to win is stressful and can be full of anxiety to a person who doesn't know how to channel their losses and use it as a learning lesson instead of a defeat.” 

Many people argue that too much pressure can even cause kids unnecessary anxiety and stress. Some people also feel that kids' self-esteem can be destroyed, by kids thinking that they are not recognized for their efforts. According to author Sherri Gordon, in the article Pros and Cons of Competition Among Kids and Teens,”To ward off these negative experiences, many parents remove the competitive aspect of every activity and declare everyone a winner. In other words, it’s the "everyone-gets-a-trophy" mentality.” This makes it so that kids can think that “everyone's a winner,” and so that kids can stay confident in themselves. Even though there are solutions to the unnecessary stress, anxiety, and pressure that kids, and everyone else, can feel, people can still be competitive no matter what the circumstances. 

In conclusion, there are pros and cons to being competitive. Some people think that being competitive can set you up for success, while others think that it’s just another way to lower someone's self-esteem, especially in kids. Overall, it is okay to be competitive, as long as you don’t go overboard. Are you a competitive person?

Bibliography

Agner, Mara. “The pros and cons of Being Competitive.” candymag.com, 17 November 2016, https://www.candymag.com/features/the-pros-and-cons-of-being-competitive-a1510-20161117. Accessed 1 February 2021.

Benamati, Kelly. “The pros and Cons of Having a Competitive Personality.” huffpost.com, 25 February 2017, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-pros-and-cons-of-havi_b_9312356. Accessed 1 February 2021.

Gordon, Sherri. “Pros and Cons of Competition Among Kids and Teens.” verywellfamily.com, 17 September 2017, https://www.verywellfamily.com/competition-among-kids-pros-and-cons-4177958. Accessed 1 February 2021.