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One of the primary drivers or motivators I have is competition. It is in my nature to be very competitive in all aspects of life. I have also been reasonably successful in remaining at the top. It is impossible to be number one at everything at all times. But at least to be considered a top tier candidate is very important to me. The glory, prestige, praise, and opened opportunities become addictive, and it may sometimes be difficult to return to a mid or low tier status.
The precursor that gives rise to competition is our peers, or other people. We see in other people the materials and gifts that we covet for ourselves and become naturally envious. Without competition, perhaps I would be content as a country boy living on a farm, spending my days working just enough to enable my subsistence. But being aware of the life of luxury that are enjoyed by others around the world, I become jealous and strive for more.
Up until now, in most everything I have deemed important to my life, I have had respectable success. Since academic achievement has such a huge influence on our career opportunities, most people place it as their top priority. I went to school, by pure chance, in a very competitive environment. It was a public school, and the teachers and students were of very high quality. I will not justify this claim, even though I could, as I prefer you just take my word for it. I was not the top of the class, but I was certainly top tier. Considering my little time spent on work and studying, I relished my exceptional ranking. I almost pitied those who could not achieve the same level of adeptness. It felt like they would never be able to catch up to my greatness.
I can remember one incidence that particularly stands out in my mind. My teacher in the elementary school had recognized my talent. One day I submitted a writing assignment for evaluation. Later, after he had marked them, he called me up to his desk and told me that my submission was merely average. “This piece is OK, but not exceptional. It’s good, but it doesn’t really stand above the crowd. Are you willing to settle with that?” he said. “I know you can do better.” This teacher may seem somewhat favouritist with unusual disrespect for his worser students, but he was one of the best teachers I have ever had. At that time, I was just a little kid. Teachers respected my abilities, but I was no a stranger to the intermittent non-stellar marks I might receive sometimes. Yet this was the first time anyone called me out for it, so bluntly and directly, I was caught off guard. This didn’t really instill a drastic change in my drive for perfection, but I thought it a story worth sharing.
The other important competition in elementary school was athletics. I excelled in this as well, of course. Though not the very top athlete in my grade, I was certainly again top tier. That distinction would probably belong to my very best friend at the time. I loved sports and could dominate in most any competition. Once again I cherished my gifts and knew that others were not so lucky and could only aspire to reach the heights I sat at.
Further along the road to growing up, academic competition increases. People became obstacles to my path of success. It’s not just that the pool of competitors increases as we move on to college, but that stakes are much higher. I was still top tier but this was no longer very relevant. Too much of my destiny was left up to chance. Per Trevelyan: “Half of everything is luck.” “And the other half?” “Fate.” It no longer mattered I surpassed my peers in skill when their road to success was based more than just merit.
The spots and opportunities for success narrow out at the top. I dislike people around if only for the very fact that we strive for the same goals which are in limited supply. One’s loss is another person’s gain. The most painful part is when a person is rewarded an opportunity at the expense of shutting me out, when I am totally confident that I was a better candidate and could do the job several times better. The mentality is: get out of my way, I can do it better.
I know I sound like an immature spoiled brat whining about not getting what I want. But I do not wish to leave that impression. I hastily acknowledge there are thousands of geniuses out there that make me look like an idiot. I have the greatest respect for these individuals and bow to their talent. However, I am sure we can all relate to the frustration when the undeserving steal the ends you covet and deserve so much more than they do.
  
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Baa?21247 Posts
I read the whole thing and I don't understand what your point is.
Is this just a way for you to brag about your above-average academic and athletic talents?
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Katowice25012 Posts
You try way too hard to use big words and complex sentences
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ur a douchebag mang
edit: tbh i'm kinda of similar, cept i'm not that competitive for the sake of.. being competitive... at all..
but like, i see no rason why you'd post this other than to be a douchebag
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im extremely competitive, but in terms of my friends
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On March 08 2009 15:00 heyoka wrote:
You try way too hard to use big words and complex sentences
This.
I'm seriously confused by you. Mr top tier.
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if you were smart as you claim to be your sentences would be much more fluid!
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this was painful to read
but it sums up as
i was always pro as a kid, but now this idiot got hired instead of me. wtf is up with that, i'm upset!
oh and for what it's worth, people always remember their child years in a better light than they actually were. there's been studies done, the one that pops in my head is related to recalling marks obtained in highschool by people freshly graduated from college. you'd think only 4 years, they would still roughly remember what they got, but across the board, people remembered their grades as higher than they actually were.
maybe you weren't/aren't so great after all =O plus how exactly do you define top tier? in your school? that's not exactly solid competition. if you're talking provincial or national level, then i could see that.
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they are not undeserving, you simply are missing that they might have put more effort into what both of you were trying to achieve.
hypothetical to clear this up
an intelligent put in 30% of his maximum effort to obtain a 90% score
an extremely intelligent person put in 20% of his maximum effort to obtain a 90% score
Assuming you were in the extremely intelligent category it is clear to you that if you put 15% effort and the intelligent competitor place 70% of his effort you will be completely shadowed not only by his results but also the commitment the ones judging will see he invested.
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most people on this site are smart enough to "stand above the rest", you will realize soon that you're not really that special, and hopefully someday that life isn't a race
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Just wondering, do you even play Starcraft?
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This probably isn't related, but I was walking along the sidewalk and reading a book, and as I cross the street, the car at the corner next to me starts moving forward and I kept my pace until it was 2 feet away from me and I leapt out of the way. I was like WTF!, right of passage, and look at the driver to see an old lady with an angry grimace on her face. Seriously, that pissed me off for some reason. If I didn't move, the car would've hit me. WAAAY off-topic, probably. Sry.
Edit: I just realized that I thought this could've been related because of the blog title.
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Whatever time you invested in this could've been better spent advancing yourself. Learn to make your own luck, or the masses will pass you by. Even pigeons fly.
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Lol this is crappy writing for sure
way to be bombastic prick
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Btw I should make a blog about how I'm like god except that I exist and god doesn't.
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........................what? why is this even on here?
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Whoa, those words are long as heck
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is awesome32281 Posts
Actually, you are in MY way.
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Why do you never respond to replies in your blog?
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If you didn't want to leave an impression as a spoiled immature brat why would you even write a blog about it?
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On March 08 2009 16:01 huameng wrote:
Why do you never respond to replies in your blog?
That's not a hard question.
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i bet one thing you're not competitive at is GETTING LAID!
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On March 08 2009 15:57 Fontong wrote:
Btw I should make a blog about how I'm like god except that I exist and god doesn't.
please do, i would be entertained ^ ^
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On March 08 2009 17:30 Etherone wrote:Show nested quote +On March 08 2009 15:57 Fontong wrote:
Btw I should make a blog about how I'm like god except that I exist and god doesn't. please do, i would be entertained ^ ^
The Pope and God walk into a bar.
The Pope goes up to the bartender, and says, "I will have your most holiest of wines."
God turns to the Pope
+ Show Spoiler +and doesnt say anything because he doesnt exist
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Baa?21247 Posts
On March 08 2009 17:34 SpiritoftheTunA wrote:Show nested quote +On March 08 2009 17:30 Etherone wrote:On March 08 2009 15:57 Fontong wrote:
Btw I should make a blog about how I'm like god except that I exist and god doesn't. please do, i would be entertained ^ ^ The Pope and God walk into a bar. The Pope goes up to the bartender, and says, "I will have your most holiest of wines." God turns to the Pope + Show Spoiler +and doesnt say anything because he doesnt exist
Well played ol' chap.
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My not replying is kind of reflective of my impartial nature. People can say what they like but I seldom give much if any response. Writing these blogs in the first place has already been a jump I'm still getting accustomed to.
To people criticizing my writing: I know I sound pretentious, and thats mostly deliberate. But does the word usage really sound that forced? I pick my words carefully to find the ones that are most accurate to describe what I want to say. Besides, one of the reasons I write these is to practice to improve my writing abilities.
The second reason, as I have previously mentioned, is therapy. Am I that much of a dick outwardly in real life? Of course not. These things I keep to myself too long and I start to go crazy. I cannot divulge my inner thoughts to people because I play things too cautiously. Thus I take the chance to do so anonymously here.
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So... you don't play SC then?
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On March 09 2009 02:52 Shiverfish wrote:
My not replying is kind of reflective of my impartial nature. People can say what they like but I seldom give much if any response. Writing these blogs in the first place has already been a jump I'm still getting accustomed to.
To people criticizing my writing: I know I sound pretentious, and thats mostly deliberate. But does the word usage really sound that forced? I pick my words carefully to find the ones that are most accurate to describe what I want to say. Besides, one of the reasons I write these is to practice to improve my writing abilities.
The second reason, as I have previously mentioned, is therapy. Am I that much of a dick outwardly in real life? Of course not. These things I keep to myself too long and I start to go crazy. I cannot divulge my inner thoughts to people because I play things too cautiously. Thus I take the chance to do so anonymously here.
this is possibly one of the most pretentious responses you could've used
congratulations
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On March 09 2009 02:52 Shiverfish wrote:
My not replying is kind of reflective of my impartial nature. People can say what they like but I seldom give much if any response. Writing these blogs in the first place has already been a jump I'm still getting accustomed to.
To people criticizing my writing: I know I sound pretentious, and thats mostly deliberate. But does the word usage really sound that forced? I pick my words carefully to find the ones that are most accurate to describe what I want to say. Besides, one of the reasons I write these is to practice to improve my writing abilities.
The second reason, as I have previously mentioned, is therapy. Am I that much of a dick outwardly in real life? Of course not. These things I keep to myself too long and I start to go crazy. I cannot divulge my inner thoughts to people because I play things too cautiously. Thus I take the chance to do so anonymously here.
LOL are you for real?
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btw merriam webster definition of impartial:
: not partial or biased : treating or affecting all equally
did you mean to use ambivalent?
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it's moltkewarding's bastard son with down syndrome!
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Baa?21247 Posts
On March 09 2009 02:52 Shiverfish wrote:
To people criticizing my writing: I know I sound pretentious, and thats mostly deliberate
*that's
If you're going to be pretentious, you can at least go for, you know, proper grammar. It helps with the pretentiousness, you see.
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On March 09 2009 06:28 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:Show nested quote +On March 09 2009 02:52 Shiverfish wrote:
To people criticizing my writing: I know I sound pretentious, and thats mostly deliberate *that's If you're going to be pretentious, you can at least go for, you know, proper grammar. It helps with the pretentiousness, you see.
While Shiverfish may miss some of the subtleties in pretentious writing, his demonstration of the pretentious mindset and all of its basises and foundations is quite masterful.
Read my blog for further details.
http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?topic_id=89175
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Baa?21247 Posts
I respectfully disagree.
While it is true that Shiverfish has indeed mastered the basic tenets of the Art of the Pretentious, I do believe that one needs to fully comprehend that every facet of your writing, however infinitesimal, must still be met with a certain level of attention. Thus, the negligence of the apostrophe, though itself insignificant, gives us a glimpse into an inherent flaw of mindset.
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Thank you for not addressing anything in particular , I could use some if these on my end-of-term essays papers if you keep making them anonymous and without proper nouns.
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EPT
