Rethinking winning.

I did not see the Serena Williams / Kim Clijsters match last night but I read about it this morning. While Serena's behavior seemed inconsistent with her public personae, it served as a catalyst for me to think about competition, not just at the most elite levels but on an everyday basis. And consequently I thought about what it means to win.

Winning today is interpreted as defeating an opponent. It is thought of as a zero sum experience, and in too many cases, winning seems to be all that matters so the ends justifying the means is too readily accepted.


The dictionary definition of winning makes no mention of defeat. It speaks of overcoming adversity, reaching goals and expending great effort. That leads me to believe that winning is internal. The struggle is with ourselves. The real victory is overcoming our deficits, improving as a consequence of our experiences and endeavors and being completely honest with ourselves, not only with regard to our performance but the adherence to our values.  If the effort is sincere, the intention is true and the actions are honorable then you have won. Even if the match goes the other way.