Many accomplished people—athletes, artists, writers, sure; people in all fields—are competitive by nature.
But some folks are “good” competitors while others are “bad” competitors, dangerous competitors, dangerous people even, sure.
I’ll explain:
Caitlyn Jenner, back when she was competing in the 1976 Olympics decathlon as Bruce, was a good competitor. When a reporter asked him about Mykola Avilov, the Ukrainian who won decathlon gold at the previous Olympics in 1972, Bruce said:
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“We get along very, very well, there’s no rivalry there or anything,” he shook his head. “I saw a quote one time: ‘I love my competitors because they bring the most out of me’—and I think that’s the situation with myself and Avilov.”
This is a good competitive mindset, a healthy ethos, because it’s predicated on Jenner’s success.
Daniel Plainview, on the other hand, has a bad competitive mindset, a toxic ethos, because it’s predicated not on his success but, rather, on his opponent’s failure.
I’ll explain:
Plainview is the fictional protagonist villain of There Will Be Blood, one of the most compelling movies I’ve seen. Played by Daniel Day Lewis, Plainview is an oil tycoon, ruthless, manipulative, cold and detached; fueled by his ego, his ambition, his insecurities.
Plainview’s personality comes into focus throughout the movie but one scene is particularly—and literally—telling:
“Are you an angry man, Henry?” Plainview asks his associate. They’re drinking whiskey.
“About what?” Henry says.
“Are you envious?” Plainview says. “Do you get envious?”
“I… I don’t think so, no.”
Then Plainview bears his soul: “I have a competition in me,” he says, drunk and uninhibited. “I want no one else to succeed,” he says.
Bruce Jenner and Daniel Plainview are both competitive, extremely so.
Of course they are. But in the end, Jenner persevered, winning Olympic gold in 1976, yes.
And Plainview, the envious one? What came of him?
ah.
There will be blood, yes.
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)If you want more “micro” content, feel free to explore 100s of articles, interviews, courses, and series — all free. Enjoy!Eddie Shleyner
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