Beech Tree News Network

Competition may be defined as the process of trying to beat or do better than others. It may involve a planned or an unplanned activity. We see competitions every day, whether it’s a foot race between children or one driver pulling out in front of another. Competitions surround us.
People have different thoughts about competition. Sometimes it’s described as a ‘healthy’ competition – making me wonder what an ‘unhealthy’ competition looks like. Competitions can have many positive and negative effects. For example, some may cause us to develop stronger bodies and some may increase our stress levels. Battle may be an extreme form of competition.
The comments below show some people’s thoughts about competition:
•    The biggest competition in life is the one within you. –Unknown
•    A quitter never wins and a winner never quits. –Unknown
•    If you come in second, you're the first loser. –Unknown
•    My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there. –Indira Gandhi
•    Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people. –David Sarnoff
•    Competition breeds excellence. –Unknown
Recently, my family engaged in a little friendly – or healthy – competition. My three daughters’ families and I set out pumpkins to see who would produce the largest pumpkin. Because of the drought, we watered our pumpkin vines. My plant is healthy and has big beautiful green leaves. It also produced several brilliant yellow blooms. Unfortunately, I have no prize-winning pumpkins in my yard. The plants at two of my daughters’ homes died. But, we have a winner! My middle daughter’s family grew several large pumpkins. One of their pumpkins is on my front porch. It’s a beauty!
Our family’s pumpkin competition provided some light entertainment. We will remember our competition and who won; it was a good diversion. And, as my family would agree, it’s cheaper to buy pumpkins but more fun to grow them.