Winning

Being a sport enthusiast as well a sport person for me winning or losing meant playing a game and applied to life it meant nearly the same. Being a mechanical and a cryogenic engineer, mathematical solutions were never a part of winning – as a win only meant sum total. A win-win situation is an expectation and not a solution. Relationship building involves a win-win strategy to move ahead on the grey path not idealizing the perfectionist attitude. You live and let live. Accept failure. Win is at a dead line! Parameters are measured, evaluated here and in competition the winner adjudged. For some - winning is habit and for some it’s not. Those who loose and learn from losses are richer than winners as the experience of losing and learning makes it wealthier on a path to wisdom. Arjun Vajpai a 16 year old was youngest to scale the Mt. Everest on May 22, 2010. A few hours later Jordan Romero, a 13 year old became the youngest to conquer the same Mount. Arjun in an interview said - “My sleep deprived body wanted to abandon the climb many times but I ignored the resistance of my body and resolved in mind to complete the climb” – Both their journeys were to compete within themselves. Their unidentified human potential was conquered. The journey itself was a win. Bench marks are often revised to allow human potential to unleash – that’s a win against your-self. Budha Says – “It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell”. Mahatma Gandhi –“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory” – “Winning isn't everything--but wanting to win is.” - Vince Lombardi. Priya Kumar in her book “I am another you” says – “There is nothing wrong with the outside world, if we sort out the world inside”. I found similarity between winning and victory. Victory is about – “success in a struggle against difficulties and obstacles and a state of having triumphed”. It’s about achievement. Winning is summarized well by Ronald Reagan – “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose - somehow we win out”.

“The 8th Habit” by Stephen Covey tell us to find our Inner Voice. May be in his words we need to conduct our own funeral as we live today and introspect what we missed and what we need to do to leave an image as we pass away. I plan a re-visit the internal thought chain and focus on what need to be done to achieve an image of the victorious me. Winning is not being THERE, winning is about putting yourself to test.