Do you have a competitive personality?

[Raptor]

Ok, the problem is that people sometimes get turned off when someone is really competitive. Sometimes people say that I am being too competitive ( personality wise) is bad. Even my mom say that I need to not be that competitive. I mean it just seem natural with me. I am not cut throat/gunner student but I just like being the best, and I get angry with myself when I don't get close to perfection. Is there something wrong with me or is it a normal part in being a pre med? What do you guys think?

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[SMW]

Nothing at all wrong with wanting and trying to be the best you possibly can be.

 

[Phaedrus]

"I get angry with myself when I don't get close to perfection"

It sounds like you need to chill out a bit. Perfection is something no one will achieve in this life.

 

[Bikini Princess]

lol! smw, you must be trying to compete with dr foxy!! how much have u posted tonight?

 

[SMW]

no, I was just angy with CyclinE for making such a mess and pushing all the current threads off the first page.

I have to amend my answer to this one. Getting angy with yourself for not being perfect isn't healthy or productive.

 

[tBw]

It's natural and, to some degree, perfectionism can help you achieve the best that you can do. However, you have to ask yourself if you are taking it too far. Perfection can stand in the way of completion, efficiency, and productivity. Perfection itself can prevent you from completing things. However, you also need to be able to accept imperfection for personal reasons - if you are too hard on yourself, you will, in the long run, be such a mess you are no help to others, or yourself.

 

[phil413ru]

Some competitive spirit is good. There is nothing wrong with trying to do your best. I understand where you are coming from because I also have a tendency to beat myself up over failure. However, my time in the Army and other organizations have taught me that I cannot expect perfection. In fact, sometimes what seems to be one of our biggest road blocks ends up becoming our greatest strength. Continue to do your personal best, but also realize that you cannot be the best in everything. Don't focus on how the competition is doing, but instead focus on how you can improve. The old cliche` says something like, "No matter how good you get there will always be someone better, and always someone worse".
If you mess up, or don't like your performance in a particular area, sit down and analyze the situation. What went wrong? What went right? How can you improve in such area in the future? As I look back in my life, I now realize there are failures and mistakes that I am glad that I made. (Although I would have thought such at the time of failure) Had I not made them, I would not be where I am today. The lessons learned from failures and obstacles can instill a sense of mental toughness and determination that cannot be obtained with a perfect performance. I sorry that this has become such a long post, but your post reminded me of myself. Finally, one of my favorites qoutes is the serenity prayer. I don't know where it came from , but it goes like this "Lord grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, to change things I can. and the wisdom to know the difference."

 

[Street Philosopher]

i'm only competitive when i can do well without much effort. otherwise i become fatalistic.

 

[KU Brendan]

Only a true perfectionist can give you a good answer at this...so here comes the perfect answer (kidding!)

Seriously though, I know exactly what you're talking about. Here are the problems I have with being ultra competitive: 1) it can really upset or annoy other people, and 2) you can end up being what's known as a defeated (or discouraged) perfectionist.

On the first, I personally always try to do my very best at everything; although realizing that I can't, I certainly give it my best shot. I wouldn't want to do anything halfway and wouldn't be happy with myself if I did; however, if you are outwardly competitive, it becomes a different issue. People do not like it when they sense competition in everything. It's fine to compete with yourself, but when you start involving others, you will most likely end up frustrating them--or you if they "win." For example, my best friend and I are both very, very competitive people, and we also both really like tennis. Because of this, instead of actually playing tennis, we just hit the ball around and practice--which ends up being lots of fun (instead of one of us losing and feeling lousy). I save my competition in sports to the soccer field against non-friends. Another example is grades: I don't share them with anyone. It doesn't matter where I stack up against my friends or anyone else as long as I am happy with myself and feel like I did my best. There's nothing worse than the people in med school who feel the need to share their grades all the time, especially if it's done in a boastful way.

Becoming frustrated or defeated/discouraged is very easy in med school, because for many people, it's the first time they ever face failure. From the very start of first year, you have to decide if getting perfect grades is still as important as it was for you undergrad; if it is, plan to study a lot more than you ever have. If you are content with having a balance of activities, then do your best at the things you do. Everyone who is not a perfectionist will tell you that you can't achieve it and will not understand the real need and drive you feel to always try. The problem becomes if you start hating yourself or becoming depressed or simply giving up and not trying anymore if things don't go your way.

That's just my opinion...of course, if I'm wrong, I'm just never going to post again and am going to go dig a hole and crawl in.

Good luck to ya!

--Brendan--
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[marydee]

"Perfection is Imperfection"

 

[Doctor Octopus]

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

 

[LoveDoc]

You should be competitive just not over-bearing and obnoxious.

 

[LizardKing]

I think competitiveness and perfectionism are not inherently bad things. In certain respects, it's the only way to push yourself to the highest levels of performance. Take, for instance, Michael Jordan, who is far more competitive and perfectionist than any pre-med gunner out there. These traits pushed him and his teammates to unparalleled levels. But ask anyone who played with him in the NBA and they'll tell you he's an a**hole on the court.

The problem I see with competitiveness in med school is that the goals are not as clear cut. There's no winning per se. To some people, "winning" may be getting that derm residency. But it benefits no one if you go about it selfishly. More importantly, med students have the tendency to let this pattern of competitiveness that helped them in college and med school carry over to their practice. Ultimately medicine becomes a self endeavor for these people, and their own interests are consistently put above their patients'.

But most importantly, no one thinks you're cool if you're the top dog in your class. You are simply king of the nerds.

 

[the*mess]

If you're competitive drive spurs you on to greater heights of acheivments and depths of knowledge, then good for you!

But if the same competitive drive has you finding ways to sabotage your fellow students or to make them look poor in the instructor's eyes, well... then you've crossed a line, in my mind.

I want the highest grades possible in my classes, but if I get them by screwing my fellow classmates, then I really didn't earn them. And who am I to erect obstacles to another person's success?

 

[Raptor]

Now be truthful, I think ALL the serious pre med students have to be competitive to a certain extent. I don't want to sound Darwinistic and neither do I want to rant on, but its somewhat necessary.

 

[Bikini Princess]

Originally posted by Raptor
Now be truthful, I think ALL the serious pre med students have to be competitive to a certain extent. I don't want to sound Darwinistic and neither do I want to rant on, but its somewhat necessary.

I think I agree with you, Raptor. On the other hand, wouldn't it be nice if there were some non-competitive people in your med school class?

Also, I've heard that doctors are one of the least organized groups of professionals. I wonder if this may have something to do with their competitive nature.

In the end, being competitive may not always be beneficial. For example, if residents came together, and stopped competing with eachother, then maybe the ~120/hr work weeks many of them suffer from would not continue.

 

[DarkChild]

y'all missed out on the concept of a competitive team.
I think good competition is the kind that pulls a team together and focuses them on something external - i.e. the best "team" performance.
someone raised the point about michael jordan earlier - but dont forget in two championship games it was bill paxton who hit the game winners on a PASS from MJ.
about residencies - the best type of competition is where the team strives to provide the best patient care from the med-students to the attending.

ok it sounds g@y - but I believe in it.

One firm, one team - go JPM

hahaha - big brother better be watching this - I need that bonus!

 

[Raptor]

I think that the most famous doctors you see are the ones thats most competitive. I believe that every doctor is good but the truly good ones are the ones thats are most competitive. Competitive pre med goes into med school and excell and then transfer that competitiveness to their patients. That may mean that they try to provide the best care to each patients they interact with. So in the end, that will be good to the doctor and the patients. Therefore in the end competition isn't all that bad and its a requirement to survive in this world. Now I don't feel all that bad about being too competitive.

Raptor

 

[Random Access]

So apparently, one of my friends, who's an MS1 now, is known as a gunner, but one of the cool ones. The fact that he's a gunner confuses me, but the fact that people like him doesn't. He does go drinking more than he did here too, which is pretty impressive. I guess being a gunner doesn't always mean banishment...

-RA

 

[Raptor]

OK who considers themselves gunners, come on now truthfully.