Laurels, Losses, & Living

Does a dash of competition spur you on to beat who you were yesterday, or send you sparring with your toxic inner critic until it’s game over?

Or maybe keeping up with the Joneses is hacking away at your soul as well as your pocket?

This summer’s sporting fixtures are propelling the whole idea of competition into the spotlight. But just how much are we positively charged by it? And is it beneficial?

Check out our diverse competition-related material in our new Laurels, Losses, & Living Series edition for answers. You may even be driven to submit a contender of your own ;)

In “My Unlikely Ally Against Doomscrolling,” the writer escapes from a turbulent 2026 via retro consoles and yesteryear’s games. “Thoreau Plays Stardew Valley,” meanwhile, has writer, Danial Zaili imagining this nineteenth century historical naturalist, activist and scientist challenged by this hit, slower-paced farm life simulation game.

In “Moonlighting as an Extrovert,” Lilian Le-Diep finds herself doctoring her character to keep loneliness at bay. Jordan Fraser, meanwhile, audits his entire life when his combative jargon-spouting work persona, Jordo, oozes into the sanctuary of his home life in “What’s In A Name?”

Sport features, of course. “When the Streets Become the Stadium” is Oliver Roberts’ reflection on what makes “the beautiful game” [soccer] a thing of beauty. In “Running My Self-Criticism Into the Ground,” the writer overcomes his excuses and embarrassment to jog in place in the grounds of a stadium. “To the Summit of Fuji” examines how Jake Stevens remains laser-focused on the hazardous ascent, and fixated on personal growth.

Unsurprisingly, our mouse-wheel work culture rears its ugly head. “Is it Me or Are We All Stacking Grinds” takes aim at the burnout-inducing toll of contemporary grind culture. “Shifting Fortunes, Shifting Fates” probes a child’s experiences of the transience of wealth after her family’s fortune evaporates. In “Quit This Job to Keep That Dream,” JP Morselli can’t run away fast enough from the false gods of his lucrative, spirit-crushing job.

Least we forget, competition is so often about wrestling with our inner world. Poet Anwar Huda knows this in “Win Your Fears” which, when done right, can make the “sky open.” A writer duels against his speech impediment during “Getting to Eloquent.” In “Soul Searching,” Paloma won’t let her hypermobility-led comfy shoes, and the resulting negative stares keep her off the dancefloor.

Are you game?