Are You Winning?

There is one question that I ask very frequently. "Are you winning?".  When I ask this, I often get an awkward smirk in return and some kind of "What do you mean?".


People running up a dirt trail


The Race

A large part of my early life was dedicated to sports and athletics.  With most sports, there is always a clear winner.  I would like to argue that there is rarely a clear loser. Many world athletes participate in activities like track and field, cross country, ski racing, marathons, and more.  Most of these people focus on improving their skills, abilities, and results.  Anyone who has shown improvement or set a personal record will walk away from the event feeling a sense of accomplishment that is hard to replicate anywhere else.  These people feel the true meaning of winning.

 

Are you Doing Better Today than Yesterday?

This is the real question, isn't it?  You win if you have learned something new, completed that difficult task, or helped a co-worker get unstuck. I consider it winning if you are happier today than you were yesterday. We should feel like winners anytime someone leans on us for expertise.


There may be days when we don't feel like winners, and there will likely be days when we aren't doing better than before. Especially as we grow into leadership roles, sometimes it can feel like more bad things are going on than good.


Choose to be Winning

Are you winning? Take some time to ask yourself each day. Take some time to ask someone else each day. Take some time to focus on what it means to be winning for yourself and those who depend on you.


If you can't say you have won today, you owe it to yourself to bring a better attempt the next day. If you can't find a way to win at something, it's time for some hard reflection about what needs to change so you can make that next goal.  We have to choose to be a winner each day. This can take many forms, but finding something to feel good about each day is extremely important.


Today, I wrote this, and I am winning!

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