Run the good life

There are more quotes about winning than could fill a decent sized book of quotes. Most are along the lines of Lombardi’s unforgettable “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing,” or Napoleon’s pragmatic “Victory belongs to the most persevering,” or Kennedy’s more philosophical “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.” Their common theme? Winning is good. Losing is frowned upon.

Magic Johnson took a more human approach, and if we can say so unironically, especially for an athlete. “In life, winning and losing will both happen. What is never acceptable is quitting.”

Magic reminds us of an even older quote. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” That was St. Paul toward the end of his life. He knew something about winning and losing. For him, he won his faith, and with it, his purpose. He also understood losing quite well. He was imprisoned several times, beaten and stoned, and shipwreck three times. Perhaps Napoleon considered Paul a winner seeing how through all that he persevered.

That is the thought we want to explore. Whether you are a greater fan of basketball or of theology, “What is never acceptable is quitting,” and “I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” are words to live by.

It can be said that winning turns people soft. There becomes no challenge to life. Those who win all the time become incapable of experiencing the depth and complexity of life and its growth. They will never see themselves as instruments that need to be cared for, repaired, sharpened, or tuned. In truth, everything that gives you a reason to learn is a chance to become better. Those who think themselves as the best, never get to experience how much better they could be.

We have both risen to high positions in our professional lives. Like the vast, vast majority of those who have experienced success, our growth was not linear, was not a straight line angled upward. We’ve stumbled. We’ve fallen. We’ve accepted positions we were probably overqualified for because they became safety nets after serving in positions that we were frrankly overwhelmed by. Our ups and downs through life have given us the experiences upon which to build our unique styles – leadership style, companionship style, life style.

What was most important for us was learning from the down times. We don’t call them losses because just because you aren’t winning, doesn’t mean you are losing. It means you are learning. And that you are not you are not quitting. You are keeping the faith. As we were learning we were gaining experience and knowledge of our professions and workplaces and we were gaining understanding and appreciation for the people we would work, live, recreate, and learn with. We may not have been always winning but we were always winners.

Runners will say whoever comes in last in a race got the most out of his entrance fee. Perhaps that’s a good way to look at life also. Run the race. But run it in a way you get the most out of your life. Sometimes along the way you will be leading, sometimes you will be following. Just don’t quit. Keep the faith. Run the good race.

Winning isn’t everything. Not quitting is! Run the race so you get the most out of life.

#SelfConfidence #PositiveAttitude #Perseverance #DailyChoices #LifeLesson #RunTheGoodRace