LIVE TO WIN

You are born to win. So you should do everything that will make you live and enjoy the fruits of your victory. When I say that you should win, it does not mean that you should win over some other human being by putting them down or going to war with them over issues that have no permanent significance. Winning means you should win over your greed, your ego, your fear and hatred.

When we were young and playing in the house as a child, we did not know fear. You would have seen a child trying to touch a fire or even pulling a fierce looking dog’s tail or attempting to run in the street when the traffic is crazy. The child did not know the consequence of being hurt if something went wrong while doing any of the things mentioned above.

As we grew up, the knowledge that was imparted to us by our parents, teachers and others made us distinguish between taking a hasty decision or venturing into untested areas. This has proved to be a bane for many of us because the very essence of adventure is lost and the thought, “What will happen if I fail?” has crept into our system. 

The fear of losing is further escalated by those around you who portray the negative things of failure and do not highlight failure as a path to success. We are seeing this frequently in our lives. Our friends, relations, colleagues and even some advisor to whom we go, give us a bleak picture of what can happen to your self-esteem if you fail and what can happen if you are broke monetarily.

But understanding the fact that we are born to win and that to be a winner we must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win will help us clear the hurdles easily. It is a fact that the world recognizes only winners, but every winner did not win at the first attempt.

In Rotary we have winners of elections and those who lost out. But the winner knows that the opportunity to lead a team is there and that the team must include those who lost and those who do not want to win anything but just serve the community along with others. In civil society there are winners who become leaders of nations, organisations and defence services because they choose that path. None of the winners were guided by those who cautioned them beyond a point but took their own decision to fulfill their destiny.

Winning is a long term activity and gone are the days when the Maharaja chose a successor by letting an elephant roam around and garland a person in the crowd. Whether it is in Rotary or elsewhere, if you want to win and lead a team, listen and be guided only by your inner voice that will be forcefully telling you to move ahead.

The goals you have cannot be understood by many and hence you cannot be diluting your efforts by changing horses midstream.  What you see is what will make you win and that needs a vision.

Of course winning has its benefits and glory. But if you have to sustain and bask in that for a long time, you must be humble in your victory and realise that your time as a winner is not in your hands but with someone else above you.