You are more than your defeats, and you are more than
your achievements. It pays to keep that in mind when pursuing victory and
when dealing with defeat.
It is great to win, to achieve, and to excel. And of course, it hurts
to lose.
Yet when you abandon your most treasured values in order to win, the
prize will be empty. When you discard your very integrity in order to
achieve, the achievement will have no real value.
For the value of achievement is not in the achievement itself. The real
value of achievement is the way in which it expresses who you are.
Focus on winning, to be sure. Yet be careful not to defeat yourself
just so you can claim victory.
Each achievement you pursue is an opportunity to bring out the best
that is within you. Do that, and whether you win or lose the battle of the
moment, you'll have something of real and lasting value.
Ralph Marston
