🧭The Skill No One Teaches (But Everyone Needs)

Pat Summitt on Competing

Competing is a Skill - Not Just a Trait

Some people think you're either competitive or you're not. But that's not true.
Competing is a skill.

It’s something you build, rep by rep.
It’s how you show up. It’s how you respond to pressure.
It’s how you chase growth—even when you’re behind.

You won't win every battle. But you get better every time you step into the arena.

Because when you learn how to compete, you learn how to grow.

What makes competing so powerful

Competing isn’t just about winning - it’s about becoming.
It forces you to stretch yourself.
It demands intensity.
And it gives you feedback you can’t get anywhere else.

Competing drives growth.

To compete well, you have to let go of the fear of losing. You have to stop fixating on outcomes and start embracing the process. Yes, you’re chasing a result - but what really matters is that you’re giving your best effort.

Growth comes from showing up fully, doing the hard things, and pushing yourself when it’s uncomfortable.
You want to know who you are? Compete.
Step into a tough situation. Go against the best. Push past your comfort zone.
That’s where real development happens.

You can’t simulate the pressure of real competition.
You have to feel it. Embrace it.
And over time, learn to love it.

Anson Dorrance and the Competitive Cauldron

Anson Dorrance is one of the most successful coaches in the history of college athletics. As head coach of the UNC women’s soccer program from 1979 to 2024, he led the team to 21 NCAA Championships, a 101-game unbeaten streak, and coached 13 players to 20 National Player of the Year honors.

No one built a culture of competition quite like Anson Dorrance, the legendary UNC women’s soccer coach.

He created what he called the “Competitive Cauldron”—a daily, data-driven system to gamify competition in practice.

“What we try to sort out is who is the margin of victory, who is driving performance, who's the albatross, who's the person you don't want on your roster if you're trying to win this 4v4. There's this social, but also personal, pressure that you put on yourself to climb the ladders. At the end of every practice, we assemble the data, and by the next practice, on a bulletin board within easy sight of the field is everyone's ranking in every single category. You'll see these kids, before practice, go by the bulletin board and see where they are. At the end of the year, we get all these different categories together and then give a sort of final report card on their practice performance for the year. That's the Competitive Cauldron.”

It wasn't about shaming—it was about accountability.

It created internal motivation.
It made practice competitive, not just routine.
And it helped UNC produce one of the greatest dynasties in sports.

For Premium Subscribers, you can read more: here as part of our Saturday Speaker Series.

How to Build the Skill of Competing

You don’t need a scoreboard to compete. Here’s how to practice it every day:

1️⃣ Turn Everything Into a Rep - Treat workouts, meetings, conversations like opportunities to show up and give your best.

2️⃣ Don’t Avoid the Best—Chase Them - You won’t grow by dominating easy matchups. Seek out challenges that stretch you.

3️⃣ Track Progress Publicly - Gamify performance. Use visible metrics and accountability to make improvement a team goal.

4️⃣ Give Feedback Through Competition - Create drills, challenges, or environments where actions speak louder than words.

5️⃣ Normalize Losing—But Never Accept It - It’s okay to lose. It’s not okay to stop trying. Losses are lessons if you stay in the fight.

Final Thoughts: Stay hungry, stay humble

• If you’re a coach: Turn practice into the competition. Build a culture where iron sharpens iron.

• If you’re a leader: Create visible progress markers. Reward those who compete with effort and consistency.

• If you’re a parent: Help your kids fall in love with trying. Don’t just praise the outcome—praise the battle.

• If you’re an athlete: Compete every day. Not just when the lights are on, but in every drill, every rep, every moment.

Competing isn’t just about being better than someone else.

It’s about becoming the best version of yourself—under pressure, over time, with relentless effort.

So don’t just wait for game day.
Train the skill of competing.
Make pressure your teacher.
And step into the cauldron—every single day.

Favorite Posts I Found This Week

Free Mental Fitness Links 👇

For athletes and performers:

• Nick Saban with one of the best definitions of self-discipline

• 5 actions to take today to be mentally tougher

• Tom Coughlin on body language and energy

• Geno Auriemma on how to be better than average

• Bill Belichick answering how to be a great teammate

• How to overcome your fear of failure

For coaches and leaders:

• The ONE Statistic Kirby Smart uses to manage Georgia football’s culture

• The 6 Principles of Accountability

• John Calipari’s 2 Principles for Coaching

• 11 Coaching Lessons from Dean Smith

What I am reading and listening to:

📚 Book: The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players by Pat Riley

🎥 Video: Why good leaders make you feel safe | Simon Sinek | TED

🎧Podcast: Coach John Calipari on Stoicism and Realizing Your Potential - The Daily Stoic

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