There is more to life than winning or loosing… Right?

Posted on Nov 11 in Life in Evansville, colorguard & winterguard, motivational, personal growth, personal storiesby TalinaPrint

Sure there is always the draw of winning, as a teacher of the competitive arts I know this all too well. Winning feels great and is fun right? Sure Does!

However, I’ve always totally believed that winning was only to be a bonus for my students, not the driving force behind their efforts. I know many more competitive people that do not agree with this theory.

I’ve had many students who were not the cream of the crop competitively speaking, that was okay with me though. I saw my chance to help them believe in themselves and to show them that hard work can help them achieve anything.

Often times this meant training, nurturing, building them up, guiding them and then pushing them to their limit. If you’ve got a good relationships with someone they trust your intentions and work harder for you.

Not everyone is born as talented at some things as others but that doesn’t mean you can’t try it, feel good about it and succeed.

I’ve noticed that so many kids these days are afraid to fail. So afraid that they are often too scared to even try new things.

Personally, if I never tried new things I wouldn’t be where I am today. I wouldn’t be a dancer, a teacher, a writer, a mother or a wife… Those were all things I was new to that I could have potentially failed at.

It’s not about winning or loosing to me (or succeeding vs. failing) it’s about taking chances, working hard, loving and believing in yourself and others while they grow.

For me it’s more about how you play the game as opposed to weather or not you win.

I value effort, determination, work ethic, team work and the development of good character qualities over winning at all costs. That is just how I choose to see and approach life. Is that so crazy? Does that automatically make me destined to lose and always the underdog?

I mean if your kids were in a competitive situation wouldn’t you value the things they could learn about life through the activity versus whether or not they were always winners?

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4 Comments

• Becky says:

  November 11, 2009 at 7:02 pm

  I”m a firm believer in having fun in what you do. It shouldn’t matter if you win or come in last. As long as you try your best, that is what matters. My brother is a believer in the “2nd place is the first loser” philosophy. This is the reason that neither of his kids are willing to try anything.

  I like to do things for me. And that’s how I’m raising my kids. It doesn’t matter how many trophies or blue ribbons are earned, its about the fun and doing your best.
• maiden53 says:

  November 11, 2009 at 10:50 pm

  Yes, I do believe that the learning is more important than the winning… learning about life and believing in yourself
• Tanya says:

  November 12, 2009 at 5:37 am

  I was always competitive when it came to Art because that’s what I was good at. Now I’m halfway to being an Art Teacher. Sometimes it made me mad that the other kids wouldnt even try to compete with me, and would be nasty to me because I was good at drawing.

  I think learning to win and to lose is important in life. I try to teach that to my own children.
  Tanya´s last blog ..Busy Bee
• Donna B. says:

  November 13, 2009 at 12:29 am

  I’m sure I’ve mentioned my youngest daughter who loved ballet before. She knew early on that she didn’t have to body to become a professional, but she also knew that she had the talent to dance well and to lead and teach others.

  Her first paid job was teaching 4 year olds and she loved that beyond description. While she knew that she would never dance the role of Clara in the Nutcracker, she dutifully did the tryouts for 2 years. Her 3rd tryout succeeded… not in getting the role of Clara, but in being made the youngest member of the Senior Co.

  So, in some ways she was never a winner… but without her and others like her over the years, the productions would have failed. Not the star perhaps, but damn good and one the star could depend on.
  Donna B.´s last blog ..Happy Birthday to the USMC

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