CAPA Corner: Words of Encouragement from the Central Area Pastors Association

COMPETITION

    In his book, “Searching for Success”, Bill Arcement, MD writes about how we live in a competitive society. He says that competitiveness begins at a very young age and continues throughout our lives.

    At this time of the year football season is in full swing and we watch players and teams in competition.  Dr. Arcement wrote about a different type of competition – the one we practice against ourselves. As we begin a new school year we focus on our goals for our children and families. It would serve us all well to reflect on the competitive part of our lives and if competing is helping us to improves our life style, relationships, school, church and community. Each of us feels good when we have done our best and each of us benefits from reflecting on what it took to do so.

    I was touched by a story Dr. Arcement shared about Benjamin Franklin, “That as a young man, he (Ben Franklin) had great difficulty relating to people. Fortunately he was perceptive enough to know that he had to change. How did he change? He identified thirteen qualities that he had to acquire in order to improve. He began a little self-competition. His formula was relatively simple. He practiced one new habit each week. With thirteen characteristics, he was able to practice one per week and repeat the exercise four times a year. In time, by evaluating his effectiveness and improving his process he was able to transform himself into a world leader. His self-competition made a difference.”

    Until I read this I never gave much thought to the concept. When you stop and think about it, when we are in self-competition we have less anger, less frustration, less stress and we become more in tune with our own inner self. For each of us the challenge is to step back and see our own gifts and spend less or no time finding fault with the gifts of others. Much of life is spent on trying to make ourselves look good at the expense of someone else. Dr. Arcement gives us a new way of looking at life, but so do the scriptures. God said “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased, listen to Him.”

Blessings
Fr. Michael Moroney,
St. Alphonsus Liguori Church