Both the Glengarry Highland Games and the Montreal Highland Games and Festival are officially closed. What an AMAZING weekend for competing pipe bands from across North America. The North American Championships results are detailed on here. Our Grade 3 seized the day in Montreal winning 1st place.
A few of our members competed in solos and did VERY well. Congrats to Bridget Englebreston, Grade 3 third place Strathspey/Reel.
Thank you to the organizers at both events, all the wonderful stewards who helped us find our way, to the the judges for their comments and critiques — and all of the wonderful pipers and drummers (old and new faces) seen throughout the weekend. We played well, had a fun together -- and enjoyed listening to an abundance of amazing musical performances.
To our families and friends who supported us on the road and back home -- the words thank you seem woefully insufficient. You helped us make it happen more than you know.
Even in good times, there’s enough difficulty to go around for everyone. Every season, every competition — poses problems. In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive. We are grateful to all our friends and mates no matter the kilt they wear.
What makes competition a positive force over a negative force? And what is the definition of healthy versus unhealthy competition?
“If you continuously compete with others, you become bitter, but if you continuously compete with yourself, you become better.”
Let’s start by talking about Healthy Competition. Healthy Competition can help to motivate people to put in that extra effort and perform at a higher level than they might have done otherwise. It can give extra drive and ambition that help someone to do more. It can add fun and excitement to the task or project you are trying to win or succeed in.
Competition becomes unhealthy or negative when you cannot feel happy for other people who win or succeed. Competition becomes unhealthy when you find yourself hoping that the other person will not perform well so that you will have a higher chance of winning, rather than wanting to win based on your own better effort.
“Stop competing with others. Start competing with yourself.”
The reality is that if it wasn’t for competition we might find ourselves settling for mediocrity. So competition is important in helping push us to succeed. But it is how we decide to compete that makes it a healthy or an unhealthy experience. If we can use competition to motivate and push us to give something our entire effort then it’s positive and healthy in our lives. We should always hope that we can win because we gave it 100% and we should focus entirely on our own performance instead of banking on someone else doing poorly in order for us to succeed. If we can do that then we can keep competition in our lives a healthy and positive motivator that will help us become the very best we can be.
“A flower does not think of competing to the next flower, it just blooms.”
Have an awesome day!
Thanks for this Amy Rees Anderson
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