On winning………..

Winning is defined as – to finish first, to succeed by striving or effort, to gain the victory or overcome the adversary.  Winning is one of the many things that makes life……well life.

Some view it as the opposite of losing.  Some view it as the most important task.  Some view it as the product of a great process.  As humans age winning takes on a different meaning.  If you need an example just go to a little league baseball game and watch how grandpa and grandma act vs dad and mom.

Typically we look to those that do all the winning to get a glimpse of how “they” look at winning and apply it to our own life.

“Winning isn’t the everything, it is the only thing” Vince Lombardi

“I play to win, whether during practice or a real game.  And I will not let anyone get in the way of me and my competitive enthusiasm to win.”  Michael Jordan

Along with many other coaches I train players each and every day.  All my really good pals are somewhere right now training and coaching and leading either an athlete, a salesforce, a marketing department, or a group that just wants to get it done.  But the winning doesn’t just show up on the field of competition.  Winning shows up during the practice, during the training, during the staff meeting.

Long before I see someone win, I see them overcome obstacles.  The little obstacles at first.  Then the bigger ones.    Sometimes to win, we have to alter the way we are looking at something.  We have to adapt how we are approaching it.

Let’s take a look at Lombardi’s complete statement to get the context of what he said above:

“Winning is not a sometime thing; it’s an all the time thing.  You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do the right thing once in a while.  You do them right all the time.  Winning is a habit.  Unfortunately so is losing.”  Vince Lombardi

Recall a little of that elementary english work (Noun – a person, place, or thing) (Verb- gives action) and then read Lombardi’s statement again.  Mr. Lombardi (and possibly Mr. Jordan) are referring to winning as a noun.  Winning is a thing.  It is the result of the decision that you are good enough to accomplish your goal.  It is the result of being gritty and sticking to the training.  Winning isn’t something that happens to you, it is you acting on that something.