Curious about Winning: How Important Is Winning to You? – in Games, in Life, in Business, and in all Aspects?

Definition of Winning: Attracting; adapted to gain favor; charming; as, a winning address. The act of obtaining something, as in a contest or by competition. The money, etc., gained by success in competition or contest, esp, in gambling; -- usually in the plural.


“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan, American athlete


“Winning is only half of it. Having fun is the other half.” - Bum Phillips, American coach


Phillips’ quotation really applies to me. As I have mentioned before, a few months ago I moved to a new apartment complex. To get to know some of the other tenants in a fun way, I started attending the Thursday evening BINGO games. I had never played Bingo before and I wasn’t winning – got frustratingly close, but that was it.


And then, this past Thursday, I won a hand. Since I really experienced a thrill, I chose “winning” for this week’s blog theme. I am not sure what made the difference. Never having played Bingo before moving here, I found it to be fun with a good social outlet. I don’t feel that winning is just luck, or even skill, but I have been wondering if mindset helps.


Anyway, the quotations were geared mostly toward sports, but also touched on attitudes. I was surprised by how obsessive – and negative - some of the comments by athletes were – I did not include those.


So, here goes:

• “Show class, have pride, and display character. If you do, winning takes care of itself.” - Paul Bryant, American coach



• “I'm competitive with myself, but not with other people. I set goals for myself. I don't really care about winning or losing as long as I do my best.” - Lucas Grabeel, American actor



• “The determination to win is the better part of winning.” - Daisaku Ikeda, Japanese writer



• “Winning may not be everything, but losing has little to recommend it.” - Dianne Feinstein, American politician



• “A winning effort begins with preparation.” - Joe Gibbs, American coach



• “Let's try winning and see what it feels like. If we don't like it, we can go back to our traditions.” - Paul Tsongas, American politician



• “Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose. Nobody goes undefeated all the time. If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday.” - Wilma Rudolph, American athlete



• “In real life, it is the hare who wins. Every time. Look around you. And in any case it is my contention that Aesop was writing for the tortoise market. Hares have no time to read. They are too busy winning the game.” - Anita Brookner, English historian

And, some more:

• “Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.” - Vince Lombardi, American coach



• “I've done the calculation and your chances of winning the lottery are identical whether you play or not.” – Fran Lebowitz, American journalist



• “Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game.” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet



• “Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian actor



• “Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning.” - Erwin Rommel, German soldier



• “Most people give up just when they're about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.” - Ross Perot, American businessman



• “Personally, I rather look forward to a computer program winning the world chess championship. Humanity needs a lesson in humility.” - Richard Dawkins, English scientist



• “Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning.” - Denis Waitley, American writer

So, how do you feel about winning? What qualities do we need to prepare to win? I would love to hear from you.