In this article, we’ll discuss how, while it may seem like the only way to succeed is to stay ahead of the game, sometimes it’s more empowering to pause and find your true passion. It emphasizes the importance of enjoying life and looking at it as a time to recharge, rather than a time to lose.
We live in an era of endless competition. In order to do what we love and want to do, we need to win against others, and those who lose must find another path. This reality also applies to universities. If you want to get into the lab of your dreams, you need to win against other applicants, and the hunt for credits to get a head start on getting a job is also a competition. This competition isn’t just about academic achievement, but also about relationships. People feel the need to constantly improve themselves in order to build a wider network or to be more highly regarded. As a result, people compete for something in their relationships with each other, and it’s not just about academics or employment.
Some people get ahead in these competitions by winning one after another, while others chase hard to close the gap between themselves and those ahead of them. And then there are those who lose out and become demotivated and stagnant. However, there are also those who are out of the race, doing their own thing and enjoying themselves for a while. Unlike those who are still chasing the same goal, they are relaxed and enjoying the moment. The people in the race pity them, asking why they don’t push forward, and laughing at them, saying that if they take a break, they’ll quickly fall behind. But is pushing ahead in this race necessarily the right path? Maybe the people who take a break are the ones who truly find what they want. In the illusion of staying ahead of the game, are we often missing out on the things that really matter?
When I was in high school, I was competing for the pinnacle of getting into a good college, and my tireless efforts made me one of those who got ahead. Even though I was exhausted from competing throughout my three years of high school, it was hard to let go of the idea that someone was chasing me. I missed out on many of the things I loved because of the lack of time and the fear of being left behind. The piano, singing, and music that I had loved since I was a child had become distant from me. In fact, at the time, I just saw them as obstacles to my path. Playing music and singing were just hobbies, and the only thing that really mattered was getting into the college of my choice, but I didn’t really think about whether that was the life I really wanted.
After winning that hectic competition and becoming a college student, I finally had time to reflect on the important things I had missed out on before, but I was forced to put them aside again when the endless exams and the race to get good grades began. Unlike in high school, my competitors were faster than me, and they started to get much further ahead of me. The anxiety of falling behind was overwhelming, and my confidence in my ability to win the competition faded as I realized that the gap was getting wider and wider. Eventually, I couldn’t keep up with this anxiety and became a loser. I decided that the gap was too big to chase after them, and I lost the motivation to do so.
In fact, accepting the fact that I had fallen behind the competition was a pain in itself. Every morning when I woke up, and every day as the day began, the anxiety that I was missing out on something important weighed on me. Why was everyone else moving forward so fast, and I was standing still? I was constantly berating myself, and my disappointment in myself grew. Life as a loser was very lethargic and depressing. I felt like my friends, family, and everyone around me were laughing at me, and I started to fumble around, lacking confidence in everything. I wanted to get back in the game, but I couldn’t get motivated to start anything because I felt like it was too late. The vicious cycle began. I was unmotivated, so I didn’t move forward again, which made me feel even more defeated, which made me stay stuck in place.
I heard about a reunion of middle and high school graduates who were depressed and doing nothing. I went to the meeting to cheer myself up and was lucky enough to sit at the same table as my third grade teacher. She began to reminisce about my high school days, and one of the most refreshing stories was that she was impressed to see me play the piano at a school festival. She said it was cool that after three years of frenetic competition, she was able to do something she loved once in a while. Until I heard this story, I had only been depressed because I had lost the competition in the name of studying, and I hadn’t thought about the “favorite thing” I had lost. Thanks to the teacher, I was able to recall my favorite thing, music.
On the way home, I thought a lot about it. After a long time, I realized that I wanted to do what I loved instead of being depressed and feeling like a failure. Even if I had to compete again someday, I wanted to take a break and do what I loved for now. As I thought about this, I started to enjoy myself more and more. I was actually afraid of stopping. But by stopping this time, I realized that there’s more to life than just winning competitions.
The next day, I joined the music appreciation club and piano club on campus, joined a band, and started preparing for performances. I was much more motivated than I was when I had nothing to do and was pessimistic about myself. Throughout my freshman year, I focused more on what I wanted to do and what I loved than on my studies. I let go of the idea of being a loser and tried to enjoy the moment. My sophomore year was no different, as I learned various instruments, studied composition, wrote songs, and performed them. The worries around me grew bigger and bigger and threatened to overwhelm me, but I was able to calm my thoughts by doing something I enjoyed rather than wallowing in my own depression. The worries around me became unable to drag me down into the mire.
Afterward, I felt completely rejuvenated and motivated to take my time and think about the future once again. It was a bit late, but I was also motivated to enter the competition once again. Rather than being knocked out of the race, it gave me time to stop and look around. I’m still playing music, and the enjoyment I get from it is pushing me forward, albeit slowly. It may be slower than in the past, but I’m moving in the direction I really want to go. It’s less about comparing myself to others and more about creating my own path.
The leaders, the chasers, and the laggards are all getting tired of the endless race. Sometimes you just need to stop, do the things you love that you’ve been missing out on, and take a moment to look around. It’s a time to recharge. They say that a man who enjoys his work can’t win. However, I feel that those who take time to recharge by doing other enjoyable things apart from work will also gain the strength to not lose. People who enjoy their lives may seem to be behind the competition now, but they will be more energized and joyful in the future than anyone else. I may not be ahead of the game in this competitive society, but I can boast that I am much happier and more joyful than that person. In the end, if competition is all about doing what you love and want to do, isn’t it more likely that those who can enjoy what they love will have an advantage?
