Is our competitiveness innate or taught? It's something I've been wondering about for quite awhile. We're all taught from a young age to be the best, try our hardest, succeed in all we do. Each year that passes, I see parents push their children more, and I find myself-despite my best efforts- bristling at perceived advantages or favoritism, all while trying to push my own children ahead.
Being overly competitive inflates the ego and breeds selfishness. You begin to look inward only, at the smallest picture of life, under the guise of looking out for your own best interests. Yoga is all about rejecting the ego. But do all of us yogis actually practice what we preach? I know I have struggled with it. As the year drew to a close, I decided to try an experiment. I decided to put my ego aside and view all - ALL- my fellow yogis, teachers, and teachers in training as my friends, comrades, partners. I decided to put good out there, to be helpful and kind.
It's tricky navigating a business world that is built on ethics, karma, and good will. We all want to make a living at this and be successful. I have, sadly, seen this success come at the price of relationships disintegrating and ill will. People, even enlightened yogis, can become possessive of abstract concepts that nobody actually owns. I think I can sequence a pretty good class. I can come up with interesting concepts. But is it mine? Did I create it? No. It is not mine to horde. I want unity, and want openness. I don't want to achieve success at the price of hurting someone else.
Since I have begun my experiment of rejecting competing with my fellow yogis, I have found something interesting. For each time I have consciously opened my heart to someone, I have felt that goodwill karmically boomerang back to me in an absurdly short amount of time. Good things have happened. Opportunities have opened up. Possibilities seem endless. Friendships have blossomed. It has been enlightening, joyful, and humbling. I highly recommend it.
Turn away from ego. Let your heart shine open.
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