Creative vs. Competitive Mindset

In the book, “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss, Terry Crews describes his thoughts on creativity as it relates (or goes against) working hard to beat the competition.

The question he was asked is, “What bad recommendations do you hear in your profession or area of expertise?”

The bad advice is: “Work hard to beat the competition”

He says that the truth is the opposite, and that the competition is the opposite of creativity.

He says if you’re working hard with the goal of beating the competition, then it actually prevents him from thinking creatively to make all concepts of competition obsolete.

As a football player, he was told to work hard to beat the other team, and beat out his competition for new athletes that are trying to take his spot.

As an actor, he has been given advice to look a certain way, or to do things you don’t agree with in order to “compete.”

This competitive mindset destroys people.

If you’re working with creativity as your motive, rather than “beating the competition” as your motive, then your mindset shifts and opportunities arise.

You start to work because you’re inspired to, not because you have to.

In medicine, I think about the projects that I am working on. The ideas of going back to complete U-World Qbank for Step 2 again in order to see the questions through a different lens, rearrange the topics, and make a new textbook, and to create.

When your mindset shifts, your motivation changes, and your motivation increases. Your entire energy increases. You crave the work because it is interesting, inspiring, and gives you bliss.