Being the Best

  Ok, I'll admit it... my husband is better at video games than me.  And this makes me mad.  Why?  Because I like to be the best... at everything.  And there happens to be a certain level of Crash Bandicoot that my 8 year old and I have been trying to beat for about a month, and tonight my husband said, "Can I have a try?"  And after two attempts he made it to the end of the level, at which point I demanded that he quit the game, because I will absolutely, under no circumstances allow him to have the glory for something that I have worked this long and this hard to try to conquer.  (And in case your wondering, no, I still haven't beat it.)
  Ok, so all joking aside, it's one thing to be this silly over a video game, but many times we have this same mindset in our lives.  We feel frustrated and angry when someone else is good at something we struggle with, and sometimes we don't want to let them get any credit for being good at it, even if that means none of us win.  If we truly want to succeed though, we have to guard ourselves against this mindset.  We are all equipped with different strengths on purpose.  If someone else is really good at something you need, learn to become allies with that person, rather than alienating them.  You may find that if you enlist their help, they have a weakness that you can assist with too.  Successful leaders know that they must build a team of people around them who have strengths they do not have, and who can do things better than them in many areas.  You may have some level of success alone, but to truly make it to the top genuinely requires a village of people.
  So when that person at your job gets top salesman again this month, don't hate on them, instead, seek out their advice.  Most people are willing to share what they know with you.  Or if your friend made another awesome connection that opened a great door for her, instead of being angry and grumbling that things never go that well for you, ask her how she does it.  Go with her to an event and learn some of her strategies.  It's time we stopped all the jealousy and competing and truly helped one another succeed.  Be humble; seek out those who have more strengths than you, and never stop learning.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.