Do You Love To Win -or- Hate To Lose…

I heard a spirited debate, and I am curious to know under which camp do you land?

After a hockey game between Canada and Sweden, the captain of team Sweden removed a silver medal from around his neck and proceeded to toss it into the crowd. Having just lost this crucial game in the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships, the players’ actions sparked a passionate debate and one which focused on the central question of this post.

It also left me to ponder as to whether there is any difference between someone who loves nothing more than winning and a person who cannot face the prospect of losing.

One seems admirable, while the latter appears insecure but either way, both winning and losing is inevitable.

Indeed, both winning and losing are necessary for any journey, and both can inject some much-needed fuel to drive a captain, team or person toward a particular goal.

For me, there was a time when I was motivated by a “hate to lose” mentality.

Yes, it was motivating to a point, but in the long run, there was more downside and risk to this kind of approach.

I suspect that age, experience and significant personal development established a shift in that mindset. After all, I now seek to maintain a positive and optimistic outlook on matters. For example, I now focus on what I want to attract in life and then choose to create, love, inspire and encourage others to reach out to fulfill their own potential.

Of course, losing will always play a pivotal role in life. Losing can and will be one of your greatest teachers, not to mention an influential indicator as to how you should move forward. At the same time, there is no reward for reliving the pain of loss, and the focus should always remain on a will to win and the ambition to help others achieve greatness.

In many ways, there are only consequences to losing and factors which distract you from the path. While losing is never fun, to every action comes a reaction, and it is only this reaction which can determine a final destination. In short, losing is only final when you give up, and merely a blip on the radar or bump on the road to any place you desire.

With this in mind, I would also suggest and put forward the following formula;

Whether or not you hate to lose, the objective should be to focus on your love to win. If and when you happen to lose, you can draw perspective and choose to learn from this loss. And for anytime you win, appreciate this moment and use your precious experience to encourage others on their path to winning.

While the captain of Sweden was surely disappointed with his team’s loss to Canada, I suspect that he tossed his medal into the crowd out of love and appreciation for his fans. As any great leader should know, life goes on, and while we must be willing to accept a loss, we should never lose sight of winning.

The Winning Formula…

FOCUS on your love to win
LEARN from your loses, adding fuel to your love of winning
INSPIRE & ENCOURAGE others to win
KNOW who you are competing against

Ultimately…

At the end of the day, competing and competition is never about another person or a team, its always a personal pursuit against the person you see in the mirror.

You Are The Only Person You Need to Chase.

To end this blog entry is an inspiring video from, Matthew McConaughey and his acceptance speech at the 2014 Oscars; ‘There are three things that I need each day’:

When I was 15 years old I had a very important person in my life come and ask me

 

‘Who’s your hero?’

 

I said, ‘I thought about it and it’s me in ten years.

 

So I turned 25 ten years later and that same person comes to me and goes,

 

‘Are you a hero?’

 

I said, ‘Not even close!’

 

She said why and I said, ‘My hero is me at 35.’

 

You see, every day, and every week, and every month, and every year of my life, my hero is always ten years away. I’m never going to be my hero. I’m not going to obtain that and that’s fine with me because it keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing.

 

So to any of us, whatever those things are and whatever it is we look up to, whatever it is we look forward to and whoever it is we’re chasing, to that I say Amen.

 

To that I say alright, alright, alright.

~ Matthew McConaughey

Please share your thoughts below…

Russell Westcott
#Inspire # Encourage #Love