stop being so competetive!

"Stop being so competetive!" I tell myself this pretty consistantly. I find it so easy to get into a competetive mode where i'm comparing myself to others trying to size up who's smarter, more successful, more likeable, etc . Maybe it's because we live in a really competetive world or the fact I had low self esteem but I gotta say I loved competition. Mostly because I didn't feel I ever really lost (the fact that most of these competitions took place in my head probably had a lot to do with that).  I think around the holidays there's an especially strong spirit of competition and comparision going around when what we should be feeling is a strong sense of love and oneness.

Sometimes I feel the holidays are like the olympics for all the competitions we hold in our heads.
 If you're a woman going to holiday parties you're often competing (in your head) with every other woman there (your outfit just HAS to be beyond fabulous because the thought of someone looking better than you throws you into a frenzy). We run around department stores like chickens with our heads cut off trying to find the perfect gift before someone else grabs it, or spend hours brainstorming for a gift that will outshine everyone elses. We're always competing to stand out, but overlook the fact that you can't possibly stand out when you're doing the exact same thing everyone else is doing!

There is so much craziness we encourage during this time of year, and it's all because we get into this competetive mind set. We even end up rubbing off on kids because once christmas break is over they head back to school in that same competetive mindset. I remember going back to school after christmas and all the kids would talk about is who got the best gifts. They'd brag about how they got more presents than a fellow classmate. And all of this was normal for us! Even though we all knew deep down the holiday season meant more we never really acted that way because we were too caught up competeing with each other. I think that's the saddest part is even now as an adult I still see too many people caught up in that same mindset, too concerned with having the best "toys" or gifts . People often put so much emphasis on gifts and competiton during the holidays that they forget the biggest and best gift you can ever give and recieve is LOVE, and nothing can ever compete with that.

So just think about you holiday season so far...have you gotten caught up in a competetive mind set instead of focusing on love?