Why winning isn’t everything

How many times have we heard “if you’re not first, you’re last”?  I used to hear that a lot playing sports growing up.  That was what my wrestling coach referred to as his “inspiration speech”.  Well, I’m here to tell you losing is important too.

WHAT?!?  Losing is okay? Yes! Losing is okay.  You have only to look at today’s softball teams and leagues to see what I mean.  Everyone hides in D or E. Why?  Because of participation trophies.  No one can handle losing anymore… Yes, I’m going to gripe about that again.

Ask yourself a simple question: what drives you to win?   Survey Says : LOSING!  How can you become better if you have no motivation?   I have only to think  back to when I was a kid trying out for Little League.  There were only so many teams, and only room for so many kids.  I didn’t make it because I didn’t practice or think I needed to because I thought I was better than many of those other kids.  So when I didn’t get picked I was stunned…and then I got mad.

I spent the rest of the summer practicing. Pitching ever night until I couldn’t see.  Hitting balls off a T for hours.  Getting anyone in my family who had time to hit me a few baseballs.  I came back twice as hard each day. The following year I was one of the first kids picked.

I learned that failure motivates.  The thought of that failure stung…so much so I was driven for the next 12 months to do something about it. Apply this to your life.  You don’t get that job promotion you wanted. Find out why.  Use that as the motivation for change.  Prove to your boss, yourself and anyone else who’s opinion matters to you, that you ARE the right person for that job.

How can you teach that if everyone gets a trophy?  No one gets a participation trophy in life…just a smaller paycheck because they are the best, or the most inventive, or whatever.  You want to excel. You want to be the best.  You want to win.

So now go out there and lose.  That’s right.  Lose.  Get pissed.  Get fired up.  Then go work your butt off. Get better and come back and kick there ass.  THAT is what losing does for you.