Repeat to yourself out loud, "I am my own competition." An important principle to live by is COMPETING against yourself. It's about self-improvement. It's about being better than you were the day before.
Let's be #gamechangers and change our thinking about what it means to be a #winner. We have become so careful about protecting people from losing that we have deviated from remembering the true meaning of what it means to win. Since society is suffering from amnesia and has forgotten the definition of a #winner, here is Oxford Dictionary's definition: A thing or person that is successful or likely to be successful. According to this definition, being a winner is not defined by beating an opponent. In fact, winning is more than competition and it is time we dare to be great and redefine the term.
There is a saying that healthy competition is good because it challenges us to be great and maximize our fullest potential. While this is true, most people do not focus on the latter. #LikeABoss, I only compete against myself and focus on #LivingMyBestLife and doing better today than yesterday. I subscribe to the school of thought that a winner is someone who gives 100% of their effort in preparation for and during competition 100% of the time, regardless of the circ*mstances faced before them. One can be a winner as long as they devote everything they have.
I thank my parents for shaping my thinking because they never compared my brother and I. We were always and still are treated as individuals who are successful in our own right. My brother, Reginald Guy II is a corporate attorney and I am a diversity and inclusion practitioner at a law firm. Even though we both share our talents in Big Law, we are never compared to one another. As a result, we are best friends, one another's biggest fans, and accountability partners.
Trust me, I still believe that losing and failing matters. I guarantee that you cannot reflect on your accomplishments without also examining your failures. When this happens, I find a way to be thankful for each failure; I turned my failures into lessons.
Remember to love yourself, celebrate your successes, stop comparing yourself to social media postings, and be your best competition. Cheers to you #LivingYourBestLife.
About the Author
A young woman destined to change the world by improving the lives of diverse individuals, women, and children,Jasmine E. Guy is a staunch advocate for equality, social justice, and educational access and opportunity.As a natural leader, she noticed that communities are suffering and are no longer safely anchored to solid principles.Concerned that Chicago communities are beginning to drift without a clearly defined road map, Jasmine answered her calling through community activism.Guy is committed to bringing lasting, personal change to underserved populations.
Through solving problems, creating new initiatives, and forming partnerships at the intersection of community, business, and not-for-profits, Jasmine E. Guy has managed 500+ volunteers, fundraised over $250,000 for worthy causes, and designed 100+ events and programs.Through community advocacy, Jasmine has proven that young professionals can make a difference through leading by example.
Jasmine is a beacon of light and provides hope, strategic direction, and vision to many organizations and boards. She is president of the Women’s Board of the Chicago Urban League; secretary of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals; and a member of the Steppenwolf Associates, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the National Alumnae Association of Spelman College and the National Association of Negro Women.Guy was recognized by Margaret’s Village in October 2017 for her civic engagement work.
Jasmine received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Spelman College and a Master of Education degree in Human Resources Development from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.She is currently the Diversity & Inclusion Specialist at Foley & Lardner LLP.
