Let’s talk about competition.
Twice this week I have discussed this subject with people in my field and both times I have come out of the conversation more sure than before; I am not a competitive person, unless its with myself.
I have never played sports, I don’t have a desire to “win”, I once forfeited a paddle tennis game (in which we were finalists in a tournament) because I was cold. Its just not me to compete against other people. But competing against myself? That’s an entirely different story. If I set a goal for myself and don’t meet it, I will be so disappointed. If I make a silly mistake, I will think about it for weeks. But I just don’t ever feel like I’m up against anyone other than myself. Sometimes I wish I was just a litttttttttle bit competitive.
This conversation of competition came up in regards to interior design. Do I feel competitive with other people in the same industry? The answer is a definitive NO. I have carved out a comfortable niche for myself within the interior design field, one that suits my taste and my personality. I don’t feel like someone else would change that. However, I notice that other people feel quite a bit of competition, they feel protective of their business. And you know what? They should. In the world of interior design, there is very little barrier to entry. You can start a business with little to no cost, and hope that you get clients. And you don’t necessarily have to have any schooling either. So what is stopping anyone who reads this blog or talks to me about design? Nothing I guess. Does that worry me? No, it really doesn’t.
There have been some amazing people who have gone out on a limb for me and offered life saving (and business saving) advice. And to them, I will be forever grateful. They could have viewed me as competition, but they knew better. There is nothing I love more than shooting the shit with people in my industry. I learn so much from them, and hope they can take something away from me as well.
So…
Blogging creates a lot of competition. Who has more readers? More followers? More traffic? More comments? Its really silly. But also, in a lot of ways, totally natural.
So, I want to ask you. Are you competitive in your job? Your blog? Your life in general? Do you think it helps drive you or do you wish there was less of it?
