Winning and losing is an integral
part of any competition just as success and failure for every human endeavour. Though
neither of the two is eternal and final, humans have already defined a transparent
jurisdiction. And because of these territorial distinctions, the gravity of
value that we place for both differs enormously.
Winning is not permanent and failure
is never final, they say. But when it comes to collective societal approval,
it is the winning that gains the whopping appreciation. Therefore, winning in
our life certainly matters.
If winning is not in the heart of
our mind, what is there in running a race or a contest? We believe (even I
believed) that being a loser, we identify an approach that does not work at
least for that moment and get a chance to innovate a strategy to win in the
next challenge. But think! What will the winners do? Certainly, they are never standing water. If we contest for the sake of participation and winning is
never in the cockpit of our aim, we are without a doubt taking a path having less
resistance. Such kind of premature and primitive attitude will bottle up and contain
our growth of growing tall and thinking big. That’s why winning matters!
Winning means gaining a position. Be it
employment or an interview, examination or marathon, only the winners can
occupy the vacant chair or receive a coveted trophy of high recognition. Should
we still snooze with a belief that, even if I fail in this interview or contest,
I will gain a chance to win in the next? That’s OK but the question is, when is
the expiry date of that so-called next? So, it is always that winning matters!
Winning creates a legacy. Legacy is after
all that matters for the historians to read it as an epitaph to remember or
economists to use it as radar to measure might and success. No matter what size
of energy and determination we invest, unless we win that event, none cares. Take
an example of the recent victory of the World’s Worst Soccer Team sealing the fate of the team which was 36 places above
it in the 2018 World Cup qualifying match. Infantile Bhutan’s national soccer
team, branded as the world’s worst team unfortunately in the nomenclature of the
football’s biosphere, had never caught the front pages of international media
until recently it won by 3-1 on aggregate from Sri Lanka. Some might argue on
the basis that it was just a stunning performance from the worst team but that
stunning performance is what we call winning.
Similarly, when the first New
Zealander Edmund Hillary conquered Mount Everest with Tenzin Norgay Sherpa
of Nepal, he is vividly remembered to have said, “No one remembers who climbed Mount
Everest the second time”. Or Walter Hagen’s
captivating statement is worth sharing when he said: “No one remembers who came in
second”. Other
than the person who came second or someone who stood third does always remember
but certainly not the mass, not even the history sometimes. So it is winning
that matters!
Winning is a compass. From the onset
of that particular victory, we get to know the direction of our energy and hard
work. We identify that there is only one direction and that direction is to
head forward. Once we win, even our timid heart matures to be undeniably stronger and our head becomes the workshop of innovation which, is a golden key
for progression. That’s how our Yellow Dragons (National Soccer Team) proclaimed
that they will win the second leg of the World Cup and which they did, despite being
an infant team furnished with very scanty resources and capitals. After their
astonishing victory, their adrenalin was boosted with a high level of confidence
to set into the right direction so that they ignite their capacity to its optimum
level. So winning matters!
Although winning matters, it is
inevitably full of friction. It is a gruelling and arduous journey that needs to
churn calories of our energy. It is everything that matters particularly in
this 21st century where the world is dominated by the beat of Charles Darwin’s ‘Survival of the fittest” impulse. But it will definitely be
determined by the way we face and escape that ill-fated natural selection. And that
only way is by winning. So it is winning that matters!
“Winning is the
most important. Everything is the consequence of that”- Ayrton Senna
I don't think I agree with you. Winning is less important (to me) than the integrity of the journey. I have known some winners I despise, and some losers who fill me with awe.
ReplyDeleteI can only echo Elephant's words. Winners - or losers - can be either full of integrity, or despicable.
ReplyDeleteIt is the individual's personality that is most important to me.:)
Have a great day! :))