Redefining winning

 “Is there anything in life so disenchanting as attainment?”

Robert Luis Stevenson - British author

Sports and modern society have made us believe that winning promises to give more than it can actually deliver. And this is because we are probably focusing on the wrong aspect of winning. We view winning as an end-result but fail to take a deeper look at the process. Does winning medals alone bring success, recognition, admiration, fame, money, and personal happiness? How do we feel when an Olympic athlete fails to make the finals? And how does it even compare when one loses a gold medal by a few hundreds of a second? 

Does falling short by a lot or by a tiny bit make some athletes losers and less worthy of our admiration? 

I am not trying to take away the crowns from Olympic gold medal glory or from achieving a challenging goal. And because I believe that "winning is everything", I will never be at ease with giving away participation medals to everyone completing an event and thus, failing to recognize the winners.

What I am trying to bring up here is the disillusioned deeper view of "winning" that governs sports and our society as a whole just because we are focusing on the wrong aspect of it. We grow up admiring winners that go to the Olympics, winners that get higher education in high-profile colleges, achieve financial growth and fame - focusing on winning as the trophy and attainment itself. But is this alone what brings all the glory?

What does truly "winning" represent?

There is no doubt that the pursuit of any challenging goal is long and hard and requires passion, dedication and perseverance. But quickly after the completion of that goal, the pleasure of achieving it becomes just another moment in time. And it becomes a huge disappointment if we focus on that goal alone: it quickly wears out. Post-Olympic depression is a well-known phase in sports psychology and perfectly exemplified by Michael Phelps who went through many depression states after Olympic glory only to find himself better once returned in the water or pursued other goals and focused on the process again.

Winning is Everything and Winners Take It All as long as winning focuses on the right dimension: satisfaction throughout the process.

Satisfaction of winning lies in the effort and journey of personal growth and not in the attainment. It is an easy thing to say but a lot harder to assimilate. The higher the personal goals the higher the effort and the higher the satisfaction that comes from achieving step-stones - personal wins - along the way regardless of medals, trophies or end-goals. The end-goal win itself does not define a winner but the process does.

True winners invest in effort and personal growth. They have precise goals which help them stay motivated but they focus on the progress that takes place towards those goals not just the fulfillment of the goals themselves. True winners are not afraid to lose because losing is ultimately more beneficial than winning: it teaches deeper lessons for progression. And they focus on themselves, not as an act of selfishness, but merely as a way to build their own value and self-worth, to realize their potential and ultimately, bring value to the world.