Ayn Rand, the Russian-American novelist and philosopher, who is known for her two best-selling novels, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, had this to say, “A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the desire to beat others.” These are very profound thoughts and talk about the kind of attitudes creative people possess.
Creativity is a phenomenon in which something new and valuable is formed. The created work can be a physical object such as an invention, a literary work, or a painting; or it can be something intangible, like an idea, a scientific theory, or a musical composition.
Why Creative People Do Not Bother being Competitive?
People, who possess creativity, are focussed only on their need to achieve something. This does not mean that they lack the competitive spirit or shy away from competing with others. On the contrary, the truth is, for them the race is not with others, but with achieving their objective. They are in competition with themselves as they benchmark their own past achievement to fuel their way ahead. They cannot afford to think and worry about others or let themselves get distracted by other’s achievements.
A Game to illustrate how Ordinary People Think of Beating the Competition
A management consultant gave every member a balloon to blow, and announced that those who will have a balloon till the end of the session will get a prize. The participants, in an effort to win began breaking others’ balloons. In the end, no one had an intact balloon. The consultant then explained that had everyone helped each other in keeping their balloon safe, all of them would have won. This is what happens in real life.
Ordinary people think only of beating others. They do not think of achieving their own objectives. Often, people get driven by competition around them. There is a powerful desire in people to prove their worth to others. When you are more keen on getting ahead of others, you will lose your focus on your goals because you attention is diverted elsewhere.
Why You Should Follow the Path of Creative People
If you have a strong desire to achieve your goals, you should focus on your skills and keep improving them so that you can reach your goals. People with creativity and an aspiration to do something in life, will always focus on their tasks and performance. They will seldom lose their energy, time and enthusiasm on focusing the competition around them.
If you are serious about achieving your own success, then do not worry about competition. Your success is of your own making and is not dependent on others’ failures. If you are encouraged and motivated by the desire to beat others, then it means not only you are betraying your own goals; also it indicates that you lack the confidence and motivation to accept that you can stand up to your own challenges.
Conclusion
To conclude, it is very clear that people who think only of beating others lack the abilities and determination to forge ahead in their own life. They get vicarious pleasure from keeping a watch on others. On the contrary, creative men are motivated by their desire to achieve. They aim and work towards achieving their goal for their own satisfaction.
People with determination and a strong desire to achieve know that their work is not influenced or determined by others. They are always involved with enhancing their skills and competencies to reach their goals.
Written By: Priya Singh
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