Last Saturday, we won a regatta, and it was not an easy win. It came down to a tie-breaker. And then Monday night, at team race practice, after several super-quick races, our team finally won a race. In both cases, these wins were hard-fought.
As we watch the Olympics, there is a lot of commentary about sportsmanship, human interest stories about the athletes’ journeys, and what look like some ever-so-easy victories. Despite the smiles, and the tears, and the medals and the interviews, we will never really know what it feels like for those Olympians.
However, we do know what it feels like when we win – when we win a new contract, or a promotion, or a sports contest, or anything that involves skill, rather than luck.
When the competition is tight, we are in our growth zone in multiple areas. It is stretching our skills in whatever the competition is, as well as our total mindset. Are we going to quit and give up when we face setbacks, or are we going to dig in and not just persevere, but continue to deliver our best? Competition is as much about mindset, or maybe more so, than skill.
The biggest challenge is that humans, through evolution, have a hard-wired negativity basis, that served us well in more primitive times. And of course, it has been studied: Neuroscientific evidence has shown that there is greater neural processing in the brain in response to negative stimuli. This means that we are more likely to register the setbacks that we encounter than the small steps forward.
When we win a tough competition, where we have been tested on multiple levels, it’s harder for our brain to deny the win. And that is why it feels better to win a tough competition. It is the triumph in these multiple areas that feels sweeter than an easy win.
And it’s also why you should allow yourself to savor the win. It takes our brain more effort to store positive experiences in our long-term memory, so by savoring the wins, we are helping to create a mental narrative that we can win.
So, go ahead – savor the win, and celebrate your friends’ wins, and your employees’ wins, and your peers wins.
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