In working to make “Community Over Competition” a way of life, I had to come clean about my doubts, insecurities, and jealous tendencies (which I shared in part 1). Here are some lessons I learned along the way…
1// Everything doesn’t have to be mine.
Instead of hating on your green grass from my front porch, what’s to keep me from walking over there and celebrating you? Perhaps God wants my yard to look like the infield of a Little League game right now!! Haha. Regardless, I still have my mansion. And to desire anything beyond “God’s will on earth as it is in Heaven” is selfish. Whatever is gained from these selfish efforts will be short-lived. (Galatians 6:7-9).
2// We can open doors for one another.
Every professional contact or network isn’t solely for me. Sometimes they are for us. Training my mind to think in this way keeps me from focusing only on me, and it instead motivates me to look for opportunities where I can hold the door open for others. It’s ok to let others in.
3// We can collaborate in the same space.
This is a cousin of #1. I don’t have to be threatened by what you bring to this space, even if it looks/smells/sounds/feels/tastes-like what I’m bringing to the table as well. Why? Because I am the secret ingredient in my recipe, as are you to yours.
If God wanted us to do the exact same thing, only one of us would be alive. But by nature of us all being here, that lets me know that there is space for all of us to win.
4// We can be in other’s cheering corner.
Sometimes, the best way to create community is to pray for it. When I am feeling super jealous of someone—even to the point of envying their gifts, talents, beauty, business, or life!—I pray for them (Colossians 3:2,5). I pray good success over them, restful sleep, peace of mind, smart decisions, and true happiness. I pray every good thing that I would pray for myself. Lifting them up before God keeps me from sinking into insecurities, self-doubt, low esteem, Imposter Syndrome, and feeling like I’m behind. (I don’t remember to pray every time, but I am getting so much better. It certainly beats taking myself so low that I miss where God is trying to promote me).
Celebrating them encourages me, and it reminds me that God gave me my own mansion to enjoy. It reminds me that there is space for ALL of us to win.
Community Over Competition: There's space for all of us to win. -@doctorasha
What are your thoughts & experiences? Share in the comments below. 🙂
Dr. Asha—speaker, educator, published author, and radio host—is aptly known as the Creator of Healthy Conversations. Her life purpose is to teach the busy and overwhelmed how to live life abundantly. She is an educational consultant and owner of the Temple Fit Company, LLC, and she is the director of Temple Fit Health, Inc. faith-based wellness nonprofit organization. Grab one of Dr. Asha’s recent books and book her for your upcoming program.