" But success and competition are not at all the same thing. Put plainly, one can set and reach goals - or prove to one's own and other's satisfaction that one is competent - without ever competing. 'Success in achieving a goal does not depend upon winning over others just as failing to achieve a goal does not mean losing to others'. A moment's reflection reveals this as an undeniable truth. I can succeed in kinitting a scarf or writing a book withouth ever trying to make it better than yours. Better yet, I can work with you - say, to prepare a meal or build a house. Many people take the absence of competition to mean that one must be wandering aimlessly, without any goals. But competing simply means that one is working toward a goal in such a way as to prevent others from reaching their goals. This is one approach to getting something done, but (happily) not the only one. Competition need never enter the picture in order for skills to be mastered and displayed, goals set and met."
No Contest
The Case Against Competition
Alfie Kohn
