Camaraderie or Competition

I like accountability. I like partnering. I like checks and balances. It’s wise. We all overlook things. We all make mistakes.

I admit I haven’t always been as comfortable with all those statements as I currently am.

We can choose to develop camaraderie or competition. A little healthy competition can actually build camaraderie, but the key is healthy. Instead of evaluating what is truly healthy, we determine competition is healthy when we like it, when it helps us, when we find it fun and worthwhile. But what’s fun and worthwhile to some is often damaging to others. We can complain about it and wonder why others can’t “just loosen up and have some fun,” but we could just as easily ask ourselves, “How can I value others’ experiences and find a way to work together?” And the willingness to do so is an exercise in camaraderie.

I’m not simply referring to actual teams, such as, the team we work with or a team we play with. It’s not limited to our family and tight circle of friends. We can invite camaraderie in daily life. We can authentically share, and in that process, we appreciate the mistakes we (and others) make, because they help us learn. We value the accountability, because we don’t carry the weight alone. We find wisdom comes a bit more easily, because we’re not stuck in our own way of thinking, and stepping outside our own perspective reminds us that wisdom doesn’t solely reside in us.

When we see ourselves as potentially unified or connected with others, we begin to more frequently consider how our actions, words, and attitudes will impact others. We begin to filter better so that we lessen anything that eats away at camaraderie. We begin to see the context in which something wasn’t intended to be competed for and over. We begin to intentionally build healthy relationships, which requires a lot of humility and healing, forgiveness and processing.

There is an area of your life right now that requires more accountability. It might be a relationship. It might be a behavior. Invite others. Humble yourself. Be authentic. Seek and apply wisdom.