I know someone is going to read this and think I’m lecturing him but that is just 100% incorrect. I’m writing this post because I’m sharing with all of you my general life philosophy from my experiences. Starting off this post, it’s better to win than lose. I think everyone will agree that no one wants to lose. Winning is more fun, it makes you feel superior, it boosts self esteem. There is a sense of accomplishment to winning. Everyone wants to be a winner. So why am I writing this post? 3 examples from this recent weekend.

  • I shot a 119 on a golf course this weekend. This is not winning. This is about as far from winning as I’ve ever been. For reasons that were probably health related, I couldn’t hit the ball. On hole 1 I plunked one 5 yards into the marsh. Same thing on hole 2. I was barely making contact and yes it was frustrating. Did I let it ruin my round because I wasn’t playing the norm? Did I start throwing clubs? Was I a sourpuss all day? No. I finished the round with my head as high as it could be held shooting a 119. What difference does it make what score I shot. To get respect from my peers? I’m not firing out 76’s like Bake. I’m going to be around a 90’s golfer for my life and I don’t see what that prizes await me in life. My point is that I’m not going to let a bad round ruin my mental state on the course or away from it. It just doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

  • On Saturday, Steve and I lost the first 4 or 5 games of beer pong in a row. This next statement is a complete fact for me personally, I can’t play beer pong sober and one person isn’t going to beat 2 very often. Some people start feeling an inferiority complex if they lose. Not me. When I play beer pong, I’m actually winning because I’m losing. My goal is to get drunk and I’m drinking all my beers. As the night wore on and Shee started to get too drunk because he can’t drink like grads from Pitt, we started winning. Try playing me in beer pong 20 games in a row and see who starts winning the drunker we get. My point is once again, people who win at beer pong don’t get the hottest chicks, or the most money, or really any prize except bragging rights. I don’t feel pathetic because I lose at beer pong and the outcome means very little to me. Do I try to win and try my best? Of course, but I don’t really care if I lose.

  • A final example came on Sunday during a tennis match between Me and the Shee vs Bake and CK4. It’s an odd matchup because Shee and Bake are far better than Chad and me. We lost badly the first set 6-1 mostly due to my poor play. However, the Shee never gave up hope and was encouraging the entire time. He didn’t let losing get him down and was in it for the fun and not the competition. He was helping me out on where to play and where to direct shots, all around good teammate. We ended up winning the next set 8-6 and then start dominating with a 6-2 beatdown followed by a 6-1 thrashing. With a good attitude and not caring about winning but rather working on team chemistry and strategy it was a complete reversal after the first set. Notice at no point do I say I’m not trying as hard as I can to win. It’s just if you lose, you lose, that’s it. You can’t let it get you down or frustrate you. I really believe this concept goes along way.

    I do want to point out one final thing. The people who achieve the greatest ranks only care about winning. MJ would not have losing and he would devote his entire life to winning. The best people in the world probably all think like that. Being the best at what you do is a strong quality to have. I don’t want this post to come across as a Peter Gibbons mindset that I don’t care about anything. For the rest of the 99% of the population who won’t be the best at what they do, it’s about giving it your best and hopefully things work out. You can’t fret too much over results because most likely they aren’t deal breakers. This may be a losers mentality but it makes my mental state that much easier and I feel good all the time. I may not always perform my best but that won’t stop me from having fun trying.