Do you play to win? Or not to lose?

Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.
William Shakespeare
1564 – 1616

At one time in my life, I was an avid fan of American-style football. If my favorite team lost, I was disappointed and frustrated for days. I’ve come to realize that sports just aren’t that important in the greater scheme of things, so I rarely watch football now. But recently I was visiting friends and a game was on TV. One team was leading by six points with less than five minutes left in the game. Given these interesting circumstances, I started to pay attention.

I couldn’t help but notice that the leading team gradually changed the way they were playing. In order to avoid any mistake that might cost them the game, they shifted to a conservative style of play, both on offense and defense. The team that was behind needed a touchdown to win, but it was unlikely that they’d gain control of the ball more than twice. So the leader’s offensive plays were designed to use up time rather than make big advances in field position. On defense, they played a little looser on the line of scrimmage, giving up short yardage in the hopes of preventing long gains while again trying to eat up time.

For the entire game, the team that was leading had played aggressively on both offense and defense: they had been playing to win. Now they were playing not to lose. The team that was behind had nothing to lose, so in the final few minutes they became very aggressive: they played to win. You can guess what happened. The team that was behind moved the ball down the field; with less than a minute to play, they scored a touchdown and made the extra point. They went ahead with only a few seconds left in the game.

I’ve seen this happen many times in sports. But this lesson isn’t about football; it’s about life. Unfortunately, I see this same behavior in life. Far too many people approach life with the mindset of not losing. They don’t tackle life with the determination to win.

Take a few moments to think about your approach to life. Are you committed to winning? Are you determined to achieve the best you can from life? Or do you want to fit in, be comfortable, get by?

Life isn’t a game, but at some point, your time will run out. Are you playing to win, or are you content just to use up the clock?

The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.
Confucius
551 – 479 BC

Copyright © 2012 John Chancellor

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