Many people see competitiveness as a bad thing, they see it as something that causes conflict and makes people behave in irrational and immoral ways. And it can be, too much competitiveness can be incredibly negative and have far reaching consequences, and on a long-term basis can cause people to become bitter, angry and resentful. But a small amount of competition can be not only useful, but it can also be helpful.

Without competition we would not strive to win, the desire to win is one of the driving forces of humanity and it gives us the desire to be the best we can be. Wanting to rise above the rest and earn the admiration and respect of our peers and predecessors is one of the things that make us want to succeed in life. Without competition, there would be no pride and there would be no desire to succeed.

Businesses thrive on competition; they need to beat other businesses in order to stay afloat. And in this way, the consumer wins, with supermarkets all competing for sales and customers, prices are driven lower and lower. Business needs competition in order to be the best, each company claims it can provide the best service, the best staff and the best result. And most companies are trying to actually achieve this because they want to end up on top, this means that the quality of service is getting better.

In the current economic climate, the job market is full of competition with so many people applying for one job, candidates must all prove that they are the best person for the position or they stand no chance of being successful.

The dating world is also becoming a competitive place with people striving to be and to look their best in order to find themselves a partner. And they are also looking in other places rather than clubs and bars to meet successful people with more and more couples starting from online relationships because they give you the chance to see that person at a glance before you decide whether or not you want to proceed.

The word competition carries with it negative connotations, it conjures up images of school sports days and losing out on prizes. But we need competition as a society, it needs to be instilled as a value in order for us to succeed. With no competition there is no desire to win and no desire to try.