Thanks for reading!
Please forward this newsletter to anyone that you think might enjoy it,
for that is how we
eXpand our community.
FORWARD
Newsletter topic ideas and comments are always welcome.
Send me an eNote.
Read past articles here.
Click Here
Dr. Stephanie Houseman is the creator of the 7 Steps 2 A Balanced Life
Program (TM). She is committed to assisting you in restoring balance in your personal and professional life.
For more information
visit our website.
618-639-LIFE |
|
February 14, 2006
 |
|
The Thrill of Victory and the Thrill of Defeat
 February 2002: I had just closed my practice down, was drowning in self pity, doubt, and despair, and the future looked mighty bleak. Enter the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I remember sitting in front of the TV every evening watching the events unfold. I didn’t have much else to do and this was a mindless activity, a great distraction for me. I watched as heroes went to the medal stand and losers held their heads low. Some were gracious and others not so gracious. Who could forget the jubilation as Sarah Hughes realized she had won the gold medal in woman’s figure skating. Life was good – for others!
 February 2006: Life is good. I am where I am meant to be. Writing, speaking, coaching, and volunteering fill my days, along with family and friends. Learning from the past and my defeats, the future looks mighty bright. Alas, here comes another Winter Olympics, this time in Italy. I will watch many of the events this year, but I won’t be glued to the TV as I was in the past. I found the opening ceremonies boring and silly and the commentators guilty of such “athlete hype” that it was difficult to watch at times. Yes, the games have begun.
What’s more, the stories have begun. You know, the endless microscopic examination of the athletes’ lives. Now I am all for human interest stories, it’s just that enough is enough. My husband John shared his thoughts with the readers of his weekly Jerseyville Rotary Bell newsletter and they so closely resonated with me that he agreed to be the guest author for the next portion of The Balance Beam.
The winter Olympics have started and the media is having a field day with their shallow interviews and “background” segments on the personal lives of today’s “super” athletes. I don’t know about you but I get really tired of all the hype over what so-and-so is supposed to accomplish and how disappointed an individual will be if they don’t achieve those few seconds of glory and their picture on a box of Wheeties!!
Does the value of our great nation really depend on how many “medals” we win or is it all about self-worth, integrity, responsibility, sacrifice, and oh yes sportsmanship? Tomorrow’s papers will feature the picture of a jubilant athlete winning an event or a picture of a saddened, disgruntled athlete who was expected to dominate his/her event and didn’t even make the final cut. Each caption will try to paint a picture for us naïve couch potatoes as to how we should feel about other’s successes or perceived lack thereof. What about the athlete who finishes 12th , well out of the medal awards, who sacrificed years for training and had to endure much just to get a seat on the plane to Italy? Where will their story be found in the paper or on the news? What about a big money endorsement for the little guy who has to pay his own way? Don’t think that will happen.
I for one am concerned we may be squelching the hopes of prospective young competitors with our constant media hyperbole of the “thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” mentality. Does it have to be either or? Does winning justify a means to an end, or is it really just a moment in time, part of a long journey, the thrill of the competition, the opportunity to interact with fellow human beings? Trying to be the best you can be is a courageous athletic goal; how about extending it beyond the field of competition into other life experiences?
Just one time I would like to hear an athlete who has just wiped out in front of millions on TV and now has a microphone thrust up to their mouth, a camera focused on every pore in their face, and an obnoxious reporter questioning and second guessing their every move, say with confidence and integrity that … ‘My heart was into it but it just didn’t happen for me today. I wish my competitors the best of luck. And to the folks back home, thanks for all your support.’
John’s final thoughts: Today’s media might capture more young people’s imaginations if they put things into perspective, like author Denis Waitley who wrote:
• Winning is never whining.
• Winning is coming in fourth, exhausted but excited, because you came in fifth last time.
• Winning is glad you’re you.
• Winning is a feeling, there is no ceiling.
• Winning is beginning, and by beginning, the game is half won.
• Winning is ALL attitude!
As the Olympic events unfold over the next two weeks, consider what makes you a winner in your life and what you can learn from defeat.
|
|
 |
 |
|
“Victory always starts in the head. It’s a state of mind. It then spreads with such radiance and such affirmations that destiny can do nothing but obey.”
Douchan Gersi
“Winning is not everything, but the effort to win is.”
Zig Ziglar
“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Special Olympics Motto
“Opportunity often comes disguised in the form of misfortune, or temporary defeat.”
Napoleon Hill
|
|
|
 |
|
I’ve experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and although I prefer victory, defeat does happen. It is agonizing when it occurs, but when the dust settles I do move on. So, let’s change that phrase into “the thrill of victory and the thrill of defeat”. Defeat and thrilling in the same sentence??? It is through defeat that I have experienced much of my growth, made new choices, and taken off in different directions. It becomes a vehicle for change and new opportunities and that can be thrilling!
I’ll never make it to the Olympics, but I can be gracious in victory and gracious in defeat. I try to be the best that I can be. So, go ahead and put that microphone up to my mouth and I’ll tell you how excited I am to be here and how grateful I am for all the opportunities that abound in life.
Have a great week.
Stephanie
|
|
|
|
|
| Copyright 2006 - Dr. Stephanie Houseman |
|
|
