Victory is Everything

  • By: Trish Berg
  • January 26, 2011
  • 281
                        
When the whistle blows and the clock runs out, what have you truly won? A game? A match? A trophy or tournament? Sure, it feels great to win, to come out ahead on the scoreboard. But when that’s all you play for, it’s an empty feeling at best. This past Christmas, Santa blessed us with the video game, Guitar Hero, and let me just say that I can NOT play this game. I try and I try, and the harder I try, the worse I play. Finally, out of frustration, my daughter, Hannah, put my playing level at the easiest one where the tracks are rainbow colored and you only have to hit the black lever to the beat and not worry about any colored buttons at all. So, here’s my take. Winning is everything except to those who lose. Trophies gather dust and victories are short lived in the memories of those who played and cheered. Your Guitar Hero score will not go down in history and the “fake” stipend you get at the end of the game is just that: FAKE! True victory has a lot more to do with your character than your capabilities. And if you play for victory, you win even when you lose. Now, I enjoy winning as much as the next gal. I played basketball in high school and I know the importance of the scoreboard. But over a lifetime of growing up, and four weeks of Guitar Hero humiliation, I have lost a lot more than I have ever won. And I know that in the sting of defeat are many important lessons. There was a report on the news last night about a girl’s high school varsity basketball team who beat their opponent 108-3. So what did that winning team learn? That it was ok to run the score up? How much fun it is to humiliate people? I am not quite sure what the coach was thinking as he ran the score up to that level, but I can about guess that the losing team was ready to go home at halftime. But they didn’t. They finished the game. And, though I am not a betting woman, I would bet that the team that lost that game learned more about character and persistence then the team that won by over one hundred points. We all grow up. Well, some of us grow up, anyway. (I’m not sure that coach has grown up.) Most of us will reminisce about our glory gory days on this team or that. Exaggerate about the homerun that soared over the fence or the ninety-yard run that saved the game. But the glow of the scoreboards will always fade away and what we are left with is a distant memory of who you used to be. What matters even more is who we have become. If you only play to win, it’s an empty feeling at best. Trophies gather dust and championships are short lived in the memories of those who played and cheered. Winning is everything except to those who lose. True victory has a lot more to do with your character than your capabilities. And if you play for victory, you win even when you lose. If you need me, I’ll be in the basement playing “We Are the Champions” by Queen on my Guitar Hero. Catch up with Trish at www.TrishBerg.com


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load