To Compete Or Connect

I am really beginning to dislike the word COMPETE. Why do we want to compete against ourselves, placing judgment, ridicule and high expectations on our states of being?

Striving to get in the best possible shape while staying healthy both mentally and physically has been a deep exploration for me.

I do understand the word COMPETITION when it comes to certain types of sports that are all about; time, speed and accuracy, like a race and most Olympic sports. As an athlete you want to beat your last time or someone else’s. When you are playing on and for a team against another team there is great determination to out skill and perform the other team. There is a high level of competition and yet there is also a level of connection between players in order for the team to play and move well together.

I love training hard and I admire beautifully sculpted physiques. However I cannot say that I view FITNESS, FIGURE, BODYBUILDING and especially MODELING/ BIKINI
MODELING as a sport, how can it be? It is completely subjective being based on someone else’s point of view. Honestly it is ridiculous to me, how can you judge and compare a blonde haired blue-eyed girl to a brown-eyed Asian girl? We all look different from the shapes of our faces to the definition and form of our bodies. Who is to say what looks the best.

Please understand that I love being a part of FITNESS EVENTS, I love being around other athletes. I love performing on stage. I think having a clear goal to achieve and the focus and vision to achieve it is an amazing skill.

I find that most people are not connected to their feelings or their bodies to begin with.  Competing against our selves and other people only creates more judgment and separation from our feelings, from other people and life it self. I have heard many new athletes going into Fitness/Bodybuilding Competitions say, “I’m not here to compete against anyone else I’m here to compete against myself”. This is where I see part of the problem forming. I believe that competing against your self can cause manic, narcissistic, abusive behavior that is ego driven. 

I was talking to a girl at the gym one day and she told me that she couldn’t remember the last 6 months that had just gone by because she had been on such a low carb diet for so long as she was maintaining her competition physique. She admitted that when she would talk to people she wouldn’t really even hear what they were saying because she wasn’t connected enough to be in the moment. Too many fat burners I guess! This girl looked great but at what cost?

The other option I see is to empower your self by letting go of the competition and finding positive motivation that is based on feeling good about yourself. Training harder because you know that you can, not because you think you look fat. Eating better because it makes you feel better rather than as a punishment.
 
My feeling is that we need to learn how to disengage from the controlling mind and CONNECT to the body without it being a COMPETITION.

Let us cleanse our judgmental minds and find the heart resonance that transforms isolation into community and connection.

Expand the edges of your experience to include every moment. Give space to your experience; allow each moment to give to the next. Enjoy the art of being and be yourself.