Question about being a creator.

[Max_V]

I'm in the middle of the life purpose course right now and there is one question I would like to have some light shone on.

In one of the core concepts there is clearly explained that it is important to choose a purpose that is concerned with being a creator, not a competitor. I committed to this principle but now I can't keep wondering about what if my life my life purpose involves a sport or e-sport, or martial art, isn't that something that is impossible to do since it's concerned with competing with others?

I'm very, very motivated to find my purpose and I really want something I can choose to master again. I really miss that feeling I had when I played counter-strike in the past. Honing my skills, trying to become to best in the world, these things I really want to start doing again.

Thank you guys.

Edited January 28, 2018 by Max_V

[Slade]

@Max_V I think it’s important to follow the concepts in the course as best as you can but if by the end of it, you feel deep down that you need to do something competitive, then go for it. It’ll morph and change into something new anyways but what I feel is most important is following your heart.

[BjarkeT]

Why is it bad to do something competitive? Doesn't it in a way help one to become good at what you do?(which is a requirement to have passion/life purpose at least from cal newports perspective)

[Max_V]

@BjarkeT Because when you are a competitor instead of a creator, you are always depending on the position of yourself in relation to others to define how well things are going for you.

When you are a creator, it doesn't matter when someone else does something good, it doesn't hurt your position in any way because you are just focused on your own creation regardless of what other people in the same field as you are doing.

But still when you are a professional tennisser for example, isn't your way of your skill and movement a creation of it's own? Can you not be a creator in a competitive field?  @Slade

 

[BjarkeT]

@Max_V but why is that a bad thing? Doesn't that help you get feedback (and be able to tell what matters) in your work and in return make you a better creator and become better at what you do? (Which is necessary to have passion) doesn't being competitive actually help one being a better creator? Doesn't also being good at what you do make you more valuable?

isn't composing music being a creator? (Which in my opinion is a competitive field because you have to be good for people to listen to what you compose and the better you are the more likely it is you will have better rewards)

 

Edited January 28, 2018 by BjarkeT

[aurum]

9 hours ago, Max_V said:

I committed to this principle but now I can't keep wondering about what if my life my life purpose involves a sport or e-sport, or martial art, isn't that something that is impossible to do since it's concerned with competing with others?

That's not what it means. ANY field you go into will have other people in that field, and technically you will be competing with them.

Being a creator is a mental paradigm.

In the book Tribal Leadership, they talk about how there are 5 levels to any organization, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest.

Levels 1-4 all focus on competition. Members of the organization either focus on competing within the organization or care about competing against other organizations.

But at level 5, something switches. Members are aware of the competition but their focus isn't solely on beating them anymore. Instead they are focused on what is possible and what value can be created.

Think about Tesla Motors. Clearly they are competing with other car companies. But they didn't come to the market with just another "me-too" product and try to benchmark their way to success. They created something the world had never seen, and suddenly every other car company is scrambling and reacting to them.

Or you could look at sports. If you take a guy like Ray Lewis, clearly he was competitive and wanted to win. But he also was a creator, focusing on molding his defense into something great.

So it's a paradox. By letting go of competing and shifting to the creator paradigm, you often end up dominating your competition.

[Max_V]

@aurum So then the competitor vs creator is only a psychological view right?

Then this means if my life purpose in the end has something to do with becoming the best player in counter strike for example, going to tournaments and world cups, I can have my paradigm in such a way that it doesn't matter if I win or lose, my skill and feel of strategy is my type of art and creation?

[Arcangelo]

Hi. The way i see it with S.A. is that you stop competing against the other players,  you are now competing with yourself, and with yourself only.