What Does it Take for You to Call Yourself a Winner?

When I was a child, everyone was taught to be a WINNER. 

However, there was always only one 1st place winner, and then maybe a 2nd and 3rd place was offered, but it was always clear that you weren’t a winner unless you came in 1st place.

There were contests for everything, and all the children were encouraged to participate—however—only one person was good enough to be the winner.

When my children grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, there was a new concept that Everyone is a Winner, and Everyone Gets a Trophy, Even if you Don’t Try.

I think that both concepts were a dismal failure, so I set out to look at what it takes to call yourself a winner?

Over the weekend, I engaged in a competitive game of Scrabble with my husband. We love to play Scrabble, but we only play when we are in the North Carolina mountains.

I figured it up and estimate that we have been playing Scrabble for 14 years, approximately six games a year, so that is 84 games.

I also figured up how many times I have been the winner, and that is four (my husband states that two times don’t count because it was after he had knee surgery and was on strong medication).

So I believe that would mean that about 4% of the time, I got the high honor of being the winner.

So does that mean that 96% of the time, I should call myself a loser?

Heck NO! I start each game with the same expectation that I will win. 

Winston Churchill once said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm” trust me when I say, I never lose my enthusiasm.

I am always the one who suggests we play, and with each Scrabble invitation, there is an overabundance of enthusiasm and confidence in my ability to win.

You might wonder why I start each game with the thought that I am a winner when my success rate at being number one is quite the opposite. 

I start each game believing I am a winner because, in fourteen years, I have gained so much from playing the game.

I finally mastered the strategy. 

I no longer moan when I get a “Z” or “Q” (both worth 10 points).  

I now get excited and look for ways to use the high-scoring letters on the premium squares to get double or triple points. 

My vocabulary has expanded, and I have learned many two-letter words that contain a consonant and a vowel.

The game of Scrabble taught me that I am a winner because I try.

The game of Scrabble taught me to change the definition of a winner.

I am a winner because there are so many gains from playing other than getting to 1st place.

What story are you telling yourself about being a winner? 

Are you looking deeper and discovering that you are winning? Even if you take a few steps forwards and a few steps backward—you are still taking steps. 

I would love to chat with you about how you are looking at winning and losing.

If you are curious about working with a life coach for women in the non-profit sector, you can book a free consultation, and you will soon see how you are winning at life.