Some thoughts for winning and losing
Dear Archers,
Hello, I've got some thoughts I like to share with everyone in the club, especially after Pesta where most of our juniors have their first taste of participating in a real competition.
Winning and losing, has always been a constant thought in everyone's minds for every single competition. Whether we like it or not, it is very difficult to suppress the thought of the rank we will get or, whether we will qualify for IKO, TKO, etc. As such, we always feel down and dissappointed in ourselves when we lose, or feel accomplished whenever we win.
But does it really matter? Is losing necessarily a bad thing? No, it is not. A very wise senior (Chai Han Loon) once asked me, "What does losing mean?" I replied, "Losing only means you are lousy." This is the typical answer one expect. However, he replied saying, "No, losing does not mean that you are lousy, it only means you can be better."
Losing has it's advantages, and it is worthwhile too. Senseless? No. Losing is only worthwhile if you can identify your mistakes, and improve on them. It is the same for winning. Does winning mean anything? No, it does not. If you win a competition, and become complacent, thus, feeling that there is no longer a need to train as hard because you feel "Oh, I'm the best", it only goes to show that you are a lousy archer, and not a champion.
And so, the bottomline is, winning and losing are not perfect gauges of whether you are a champion or not. One is a champion only when one has outdone oneself, irregardless of rank or position, medals or trophies. To become a real champion, one must, as stated above, identify one's mistakes and improve on them, subsequently outdoing himself, or herself.
I had dinner with my uncle tonight, when he shared with me this wisdom, and it came as a revelation to a sportsman. And very timely too, Tao Li, yes, that Tao Li, Singapore's very own swim girl, came to eat at the same restaurant as me.
If anyone watched the recent Olympics and watched the news, one would have noticed that Tao Li came in fifth in the 100m butterfly finals, and so, coming short of winning an Olympic medal. But yet, I noticed that she was not sad nor disappointed, especially after an international competition that occurs only once every four years. She was all laughter, taking photographs and signing autographs with my cousins. Why is this so? This is because she felt that she has outdone herself and thus, she feels like a champion in her own right.
With this, I come to the end of this very very lengthy post, I really hope that this piece of age old wisdom, as it came from a very experienced marathorn runner, would come to be a piece of revelation to you, as it was to me. Thank You.
Last but not least, NGEE ANN FIGHTING SPIRIT!
-CJ
Hello, I've got some thoughts I like to share with everyone in the club, especially after Pesta where most of our juniors have their first taste of participating in a real competition.
Winning and losing, has always been a constant thought in everyone's minds for every single competition. Whether we like it or not, it is very difficult to suppress the thought of the rank we will get or, whether we will qualify for IKO, TKO, etc. As such, we always feel down and dissappointed in ourselves when we lose, or feel accomplished whenever we win.
But does it really matter? Is losing necessarily a bad thing? No, it is not. A very wise senior (Chai Han Loon) once asked me, "What does losing mean?" I replied, "Losing only means you are lousy." This is the typical answer one expect. However, he replied saying, "No, losing does not mean that you are lousy, it only means you can be better."
Losing has it's advantages, and it is worthwhile too. Senseless? No. Losing is only worthwhile if you can identify your mistakes, and improve on them. It is the same for winning. Does winning mean anything? No, it does not. If you win a competition, and become complacent, thus, feeling that there is no longer a need to train as hard because you feel "Oh, I'm the best", it only goes to show that you are a lousy archer, and not a champion.
And so, the bottomline is, winning and losing are not perfect gauges of whether you are a champion or not. One is a champion only when one has outdone oneself, irregardless of rank or position, medals or trophies. To become a real champion, one must, as stated above, identify one's mistakes and improve on them, subsequently outdoing himself, or herself.
I had dinner with my uncle tonight, when he shared with me this wisdom, and it came as a revelation to a sportsman. And very timely too, Tao Li, yes, that Tao Li, Singapore's very own swim girl, came to eat at the same restaurant as me.
If anyone watched the recent Olympics and watched the news, one would have noticed that Tao Li came in fifth in the 100m butterfly finals, and so, coming short of winning an Olympic medal. But yet, I noticed that she was not sad nor disappointed, especially after an international competition that occurs only once every four years. She was all laughter, taking photographs and signing autographs with my cousins. Why is this so? This is because she felt that she has outdone herself and thus, she feels like a champion in her own right.
With this, I come to the end of this very very lengthy post, I really hope that this piece of age old wisdom, as it came from a very experienced marathorn runner, would come to be a piece of revelation to you, as it was to me. Thank You.
Last but not least, NGEE ANN FIGHTING SPIRIT!
-CJ
