I have made some harsh remarks here about people that an ego, larger than their talent or whose ego's get in the way of the music. However in all truth, in order to perform to any degree, we all do need this 'thing'. The trick is to find the balance between the confidence and self-belief required to perform whilst maintaining the requirements to remain an acceptable human being.

It would be interesting (and good gossipy fun) to hear of any examples of those who do not manage this, for I am sure we all know some. It would be good to learn from these and to find out if anyone describes us. (There is talk of one such individual on Rick's 'airplay' thread).

I think part of the trick is to always accept that they will those who will be those better than you and that there will always be those who are worse than you and to be prepared to listen, encourage and learn from both of these groups.

If I am honest and there does not seem much point in saying anything here if you are not, part of me is very competitive and only likes to play games I am good at and that I can win. It has taken a long time to recognise this and move on to where I can still be competitive without needing to destroy the opposition or find a new game. The ageing process helps with this.

A little competition musically is not entirely a bad thing, as it does tend to stretch you but it is not a war. Maybe this competitive urge, is more a 'man' thing?