When people make goals, they usually include winning. This also usually means coming in first place in whatever one does. But as I’ve often said, life rarely cares about our plans and won’t allow for first place victories in most instances.
In fact, if you look up the definition for most synonymous words, such as victory, triumph and winning, you’ll notice that none of them say ANYTHING about coming in first. They are simply defined as accomplishments or achievements with certain goals you may have set for yourself.
We don’t always fully appreciate what we achieve. Most of the time, we become disappointed at the prospect of coming in second or third. Look at the image I’ve included in this post… Notice how the child in third place seems happiest? Why do you think that is? Why wouldn’t the child in first place be as exuberant? You would think the kid in first place would be happier.
Perhaps the child in third place understands that victory isn’t an absolute and that you can win without being in first place. This a bit like what I’ve written about previously, in regards to the fact that sometimes the only way to win is to lose. Or maybe the kid in third place is just weird like I was…
Focus on the goal, not on the multiple tasks required to reach that goal. And always remember that sometimes, being happy with what you get is a better alternative than beating yourself up for not getting the gold medal. ☯
The Blogging Buddhist 