Better to be plain old me.

In order to be a success. I don’t want to be forced or conned into competing against other people. Life shouldn’t be meant to be unrelenting competition. Against others. Instead, I should be competing against myself. In a relaxing manner. At a slow and leisurely pace. For pure enjoyment. I don’t have to be better than the next guy. But that’s not the way the world is set up. Especially in America. If I enter a marathon or a tennis match or a golf tournament, I’m supposed to be better than others. To win. To defeat others. No. No. No. That’s not me. I’m into the game. For the fun. For pleasure. Being the best. Isn’t my goal. Instead, my goal is to relax. To be at ease. With myself. I don’t need to win the best job. Or the most friends. Or to become monetarily rich. Better to be a decent and honest fellow. To live with my conscience. To be at One with my soul. With my inner self. I used to jog 13 miles. And I used to run a 7-minute mile. I was encouraged. By friends. To enter a marathon. I declined. For good reason. To save my soul. I had no desire to compete against others. To the contrary. It wasn’t necessary to be better than others. To see the guy running just ahead of me. And then compel myself. To pass him up. And then get ahead of the next guy and the next and the next. Getting to the head of the pack. Ain’t the purpose of my life. I want to be a winner. In my own way. Without annihilating the next guy. Better to live. Just being plain old me. I don’t have to be better than others. I refuse to make life an all-out competition. --Jim Broede