It’s nearly impossible to ignore competition in daily life.

Singapore recently concluded its Presidential Elections, which saw Dr Tony Tan become the 7th President of Singapore. It was a keenly contested event as there were four presidential candidates who pitted against each other. As they ran for office, each tried to convey characteristics to convince voters to choose them.

Indeed, elections are serious, and deeply personal examples of competition.

On the domestic scene, competition takes place in various living elements.

From competing for vacancies in primary schools to competing for vacancies in higher education. For example, in Singapore, the United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) is introducing a new admissions policy. It is abandoning a waiting list system which had caused some anxiety because it had people on the waiting list for up to eight years!

We compete for work and projects. How many times did you lose a project bid to a rival company?

We also compete in sports. Recently there was a big brouhaha during the World Championships as Cuba’s Dayron Robles, appeared to “block” China’s Liu Xiang in the Men’s 110m hurdles final.

Cuba's Dayron Robles (R) makes contact with China's Liu Xiang in the Men's 110m Hurdles final. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama)

As you can see, competition comes in every form. The biggest question is, are we ready for it? In our pursuit for success, would we cast aside our moral values and integrity? Is it even possible to live with confidence in such a competitive world?

I will discuss more about this in the next post. Watch out for it!

Cheers,

Mark