When I was nine I auditioned to be Clara in my dance studio’s performance of the Nutcracker. I was passed over. Clara was the lead role and I, in my mind, was the best dancer, so of course I deserved the lead. My three-day long dream of playing Clara was destroyed. I was devastated. I threw the greatest tantrum my mom had ever seen and decided that never again would I put effort into anything. My logic for this decision was in no way reasoning only a child could come up with: why try if you have the possibility to fail?

Over time, this willpower to not try at anything has faded and my determination to win at everything has taken its place. Ever since this new purpose entered my life I have been competing to win every random task that comes my way.

I am always racing from one activity to the next, attempting to win at everyday situations that are not even competitions. Why do I think it is necessary to be the first one done eating? Because I was the first one to do it, that’s why. I won the imaginary competition. Nobody else can eat their lunch as fast as I can (nobody else wants to throw up immediately after either). Why do I feel the need to spend one dollar less than the person I am shopping with? Because I am better at saving money that’s why. I can be thrifty, and they can’t.

When I start to fall behind in one of my daily competitions, my self-motivation begins screaming, “You are better than this! Are you really going to let this sad excuse of a competitor beat you at your own game? Losing is for losers!” and I immediately feel as if Monica Geller from Friends has taken over my consciousness and is forcing me to compete at the highest level I possibly can. Let’s face it, nobody is more competitive than Monica. That girl is one whirlwind of crazy determined to be better than everyone around her. And in the moments between winning once again or taking a hard loss, I need an influence like Monica to push me to accomplish the great things only I believe are great. This is what has led me to finish an entire pizza when I was already full and cheat while playing Monopoly with two eight-year-olds. I understand that this behavior leads to breaking morals once thought unbreakable (really what kind of person cheats against children), but my drive to be the best overrules any reservation I may have.

Every once in a while I wonder if I truly enjoy the tasks involved in winning these meaningless competitions or if I simply love that I did something better than another person. While I would hope I am driven by the first option my competitive nature to leans towards the second.

This personal drive has helped me accomplish many things I would otherwise have thought impossible, but my commitment to win every competition has pushed me forward not only in school but in my personal life as well. That is why I believe that people everywhere should turn their daily tasks into full blown competitions. Trying to finish all of the food on your plate will go from a parent’s dream to a child’s goal. Homework will always be not only done but done well because every kid wants to be the winner at doing their homework.

Only good things can come from everyone being completely committed to whatever it is they are doing. When individuals compete against one another they try their hardest. Nobody will work below their full potential because they will want to win and be known as the best. As if the personal satisfaction of beating other people isn’t enough, to help push an individual’s drive even further incentives can be offered for winners. Say you go to a restaurant and finish your food before everyone else at the table. They should have to pay for your dinner because you were the winner of the group while they were all disappointing losers. Nobody wants to be labeled as a disappointing loser or have to pay for someone else’s food.

Imagine the increase in productivity if everyday tasks, such as work, were thought of as a competition. Instead of employees doing the minimum so they can slide by unnoticed, each worker would be fighting for the boss’s attention. They would want to be seen as the best employee the company has. With this much drive it’s impossible for productivity to not increase. So maybe there would be a few more workplace arguments, but when you look at the overall situation the benefits of turning everyone against each other far outweigh the costs.

This competitive edge I have over others has already gotten me farther ahead than I could have imagined. Just picture how much improvement would occur if everyone in the world picked up this attitude! Individuals just need to focus on being better than everyone else and global change will happen in no time. The best time to switch to this attitude is now. Every minute without constant competition is a competition lost.