The Competition

But really, competition itself is good for us. It makes us run our businesses more efficiently, give better service, spend wisely and keep costs down -- all in the name of staying competitive.

The public, a group of which we're all a part, benefits most from this healthy rivalry for the dollar. That considered, it seems inconsistent to prosper for the battle for the buck engaged in by supermarkets, car dealers and other firms then complain when we, ourselves, take a little heat. The furnace of competition makes the purest gold, and the consumer gains.

In business, there are pussycats and tigers, and it isn't always the one that growls the loudest or advertises the most that qualifies as the latter. In a noisy commercial jungle, often it's the company that quietly does what needs to be done -- taking care of its customers being number one -- that roars in dominance.

Show me an outfit without competitors, and I'll show you, more often than not, a very complacent cat, indeed; and an animal that will likely rub its customers the wrong way. Which brings us to the matter of pride.

Competition keeps us humble. People do have a choice. No matter how small the town, there is usually someone else they can call. If not, it's time for someone to turn up the heat.

A more positive attitude may be to think that we are in competition with our bills, not our peers. And in the common struggle to come out ahead of our expenses with something left over above and beyond our skins, there can be a certain comradery we feel for fellow trades men and women. We can relate to them like no one else. And that should create a certain warmth.

For me it does. Hopefully, all the hardworking folks who have their noses to the same grindstone share those sentiments. We are, after all, good for each other and the community in general. As mutual benefactors, we can at least be civil. As Shakespeare said, "Strive mightily, but eat and drink as friends."

Author - Unknown