Do you think it’s possible to feel like a winner even when you’re losing? Theodore
Roosevelt did when he wrote:
The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by
dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes short again and
again because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, who knows the great
devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows in the end the high
achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his
place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor
defeat.
We transcend the tyranny of personal success and failure when we dedicate out lives to a
mission that we believe in with our heart and soul. Those who fought for the Irgun didn’t
care about who was the best soldier because each shared a common mission that
transcended their egos.
The truth is that you don’t even need a mission to feel like a winner all the time if you
approach any undertaking with what Carol Dweck calls, a “growth mindset.” When we
are in a growth mindset, we don’t measure success by performance but by feeling we are
making our best effort to grow and become the best we can be in that arena. When our
focus is striving to do one’s personal best as opposed to winning the gold we always feel
like a winner even if we end up with bronze. Ask Grant Fisher, the American long
distance runner who felt like a winner after winning two bronze medals in the Olympics
because he knew he did his best. Those who live with a “fixed mindset” measure success
by performance. Their attitude is, “If I’m not the best, I’m a loser.”
Want to feel like a winner all the time? Start learning to enjoy the process. Stop worrying
about whether you’re a success or failure by measuring yourself against other people’s
standards and performances. It might sound old, but try enjoying striving and growing to
be the best you can be.