I like to win.

In fact, I like to win at everything I do.

This is probably due to the fact that I come from a family of winners, where it’s either stay with the pack or fall behind in their wake of greatness. I mean, my mom took a victory lap around our house over Christmas break when she beat me at a simple game of gin rummy. Clearly the competitive nature is in my blood, and the apple doesn’t fall far.

I used to think this desire to reign supreme would be the end of me. One of my good friends from high school and I would make a competition out of everything . sports, ping-pong, billiards, water chugging, who could fit the most grapes in his mouth. You name it, and we probably made a competition out of it. The fun ended sourly one day, though, when we both tried to hurdle a small fence, and I ended up in the hospital with a concussion.

It was around that time that I began to realize how much my competitive nature really means to me. I don’t mean to say everything I do is motivated by my desire to win, but I began to realize the kind of impact it makes on my day-to-day life-who I hang out with, academic success and personal goals, to name a few.

First of all, no one likes a pushover. I tend to gravitate toward people who say what they mean and mean what they say. The people who are strong-minded and interesting are usually the same ones who are competitive. The simple fact is that I think it’s more fun to hang with people who like to win . just ask my roommate, Terence, and his girlfriend, Lisa-two of my favorite competitive people.

I also like winning in the classroom. This one requires more work, but I’m willing to put in the time if I think it’s worth it. I’ve gone through the same existential funk as the rest of you college students out there, where I could give a shit about school. But when it really comes down to it, I want to be the one wrecking the curve.

And as for personal goals, I guess I can blame my competitive nature for trying to balance a graphic design internship, 18 credit hours and working for The University News. The good thing about being a winner in this regard is that I refuse to settle for mediocrity. Go big or go home.

Yes, as I sat in the hospital that one fateful day, wondering how I got there, my motivations began to shift. I realized that if I could translate my desire to win meaningless competitions into real-world success, then I’d be golden.

More than anything, I think I realized that competitiveness will always be a part of my identity. There’s just something about healthy competition that gets me excited about living. I don’t ever want to be “that guy” who has to win at everything, but at the same time, I don’t want to lose sight of this particular quality’s significance to who I am.

Dan Hunninghake is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is the design editor for The University News.