By Lily Ng
I recently read an article from a women’s interest magazine about young women’s diminishing level of competitiveness once they stop playing varsity sports as they enter college. The article shared a collection of female perspectives on how they saw their personalities change from being exceptionally aggressive and goal-oriented when participating in sports teams in high school to lacking the drive to win when they are placed in academic and/or other social debates. Clearly, there are many variables that influence how different people develop the aggressive and competitive spirit. Additionally, this article does not discuss other factors that may attribute to the decline in competitiveness and limits the subjects to only young women. However, I do think that it is significant for young adults, both men and women, to occasionally get that boost of exciting and passionate energy that is developed from “friendly” rivalry that does not come from academics alone.
I, myself, gave up a varsity sport once I entered college just so I had the time to focus on my academics and work to pay for my textbooks. These were certainly two legitimate reasons for my decision, which gave me the opportunity to learn and gain more from college than I had anticipated. However, there were definitely intangible tradeoffs such as having time for physical fitness, team discipline, and as mentioned, the aggressive mindset to constantly reach the desired goal. So now that I am almost three years out of college, I try to find ways to make up for these missed competitive team opportunities by participating in different activities to prepare myself for the future. Below are a few things I do during my free time to “get my edge back.”
- Volleyball Game Meet-Ups – to get back into playing a sport
- Hip Hop/ Salsa Dance Classes – not really for competition, but more for fitness and boosting confidence
- Baseball Games – to cheer for my home team (New York Yankees)
- Monthly Board Game Nights with college friends – Taboo, Cranium, Scrabble
- Scavenger Hunts – there are advantages to solving riddles and running around with a team of individuals
- Currently deciding: The Great Urban Race with my younger sister – similar to the Amazing Race, but not as intense.
So feel free to share with me, what do you do to get your edge?
*Please note that I am not endorsing the concept that all Asian Americans and Pacific-Islanders should attain aggressive personalities to get ahead in life. Instead, I wanted to share some practices that have helped me regain motivation when I encounter situations or events in my life that call for that goal-driven spirit.
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