Winning At Home

Everyone loves a winner right?  But what happens when we don't win. To win, means you are the best, the strongest, the fastest, the most creative or the smartest.  It doesn't matter if it is for one contest or an entire season. Winning is the ultimate in sports glory.  It gives you the ability to jump up and down and chant "we will, we will, rock you!"  It allows you to give the ultimate "fist pump" and say "yes" we did it!  It allows us to post pictures on Facebook and videos on Youtube to show everyone that we are the best or we won.

But what about giving your all and losing?  Let's face it, you can say "it's not whether you win or lose but how you play the game" and that sounds great.....but that's not really how society works.  Society rewards the winners. When you don't make the shot, or strike out, or miss your best time, we shake our heads and frown and say "what happened?" Why didn't you......do better?  Like you weren't trying? Like you didn't want to win?

Winning is a great reward to hard work and dedication. Losing has its own reward, but it feels like a consolation.  Losing builds character.  To remain positive and continue to put forth everything you have, in the face of losing, is hard. To be defeated game after game or contest after contest.....well, it's just plain demoralizing. It feels horrible.  Your effort, receives no reward or validation.  Or does it?  When you lose, you learn.  You learn how to be gracious, you learn how to be humble and you learn that not everyone can win.  That in itself is a great lesson in life and a reward to your effort.  In any contest, someone wins and someone loses.  Sometimes winning has nothing to do with effort and everything to do with talent.  You might be the best, and then again, you might not be.  What if your talent isn't enough for you to win? 

How do you handle losing?  How does it affect your attitude and your home - your safe haven?  I've come to learn that losing and winning is all part of life. We can teach ourselves and others, that it's ok to lose....as long as you give whatever your challenge - your best.  If you lose, you learn.  If you learn, you win. 

In the end, we only have our best to give.  If someone else's best, bests you......then so be it. Hold you head high and clap and reward the victor. In this house, I will love you no matter what the outcome.

“love begins at home.”

                  -mother teresa

Have a great Tuesday.  

Thanks for reading.

Paula