The Irony of Winning

Everybody likes to win. Everyone has had goals in his life that he wanted to achieve. Victory is one of the most sought after phenomenon in this world. People often push their limits to feel the sense of accomplishment that victory brings. But there's more to winning than just glory and pride.

Perhaps the most heard success mantra from various inspirational gurus is to strive for excellence, not results. One should aim to make himself better, hone his skills, and enjoy the process while doing this, rather than aiming to win the trophy. And honestly, it sounds nothing but right and it is the only thing that decides how he deals with the win. The irony of winning is – the more you deserve it, the less you tend to enjoy it. Doesn’t feel relatable? Yeah that is expected, as none of us have actually lived the way we should. Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita says the sole aim of a person should be to work and give his best and not worry about the outcome. And this is the secret recipe of handling a win.

Picture Courtesy: The Lalit Jaipur, Tripadvisor.in

The real winner – one who worked hard for ‘himself’ and not for the goal – doesn’t ride the victory. He knows that victory is temporary and the higher he takes off with it, the harder he crashes soon after. The real winner tends to become indifferent towards the outcome and hence is able to move past the ecstasy of victory as quickly as from the disappointment of failure. He loses the will to boast about the win and it just becomes a small milestone in his journey and not the final destination.

Sounding melancholic enough? Is it so bad to enjoy the fact that you just left behind millions of competitors and proved that you’re the best? No, it isn’t as long as you realize that you are best because you have worked hard and not because you won. Every celebration is worth it if it neither limits you from pushing yourself further to new heights nor makes you feel superior to others. In the end, every win is deserved and every celebration is justified if it doesn’t replace the ‘real you’ within you with a proud winner.