Tom Ward, Passion Fit Coaching
This year’s Olympic Games were unique. In Tokyo we saw some wonderful examples of athletes that had solved the challenge of how to be the best at their given event. These winning athletes are commonly celebrated as inspirations, role models and even heroes.
But of course, not everyone wins and we saw examples of athletes being openly disappointed with their incredible achievements.
Should they really be disappointed with an Olympic performance based solely on their position? Does winning matter?
Perhaps I should begin with defining what I mean by winning. The dictionary definition of winning is:
“gaining, resulting in, or relating to victory in a contest or competition”
For the purpose of this blog I am going to assume by “winning” we mean performing better than all those you are competing against. It relates to the other people in the competition.
Winning on its own is an outcome entirely linked with the performance of others.
Winning on its own is just an outcome entirely interlinked with the performance of others. I am not suggesting it doesn’t matter, only that we should highlight why that athlete won. Celebrating their motivation for pursuing a path that took them to the top of their sport, their dedication to achieving greatness, their resilience. These things matter more, and can provide more inspiration, than the moment of winning itself.
In Tokyo there were a number of athletes that seemed devastated when winning was suddenly something that they could no longer attain. I was saddened when we saw Taekwondo players break down when their dream of winning was dashed. We saw one state that “second place was only the first loser”. We also saw athletes that did win gold make statements like “winning is all that matters at the Olympics” and “I am a winner”. Are these individuals that deserve our adulation? Should the ability to dominate others matter so much to them, or even matter at all?
Not everyone can be an Olympic gold medallist, and yet I consider that great accomplishment is available for every single person. It is not defined by whether you win or not.
Not everyone can be an Olympic gold medallist, and yet I consider that great accomplishment is available for every single person.
My favourite moments of Tokyo 2020 were not the golds that were won, but the behaviours, attitudes and mindsets some athletes demonstrated during their competitions. Perhaps these individuals did still win golds but what was clear was that winning didn’t define them.
The highlight for me was undoubtedly the skateboarding. This sport, that many had questioned should even be an Olympic sport at all, went on to personify all that defines true accomplishment for me and the team at Passion Fit. Each athlete clearly felt privileged just to be part of the Olympic story. No athlete’s accomplishment was diminished by others finishing ahead of them. They all cheered for each other with sincerity and passion. Most of the medal winners barely mentioned their outcomes in post competition interviews, instead focusing on the sense of accomplishment just being there had given them. It struck me that their driver was the progression of the sport and the contribution they could make to that rather than whether they could be better than others.
Individualised, accomplishment-based goals present a huge opportunity for personal growth. True accomplishment is rarely about how you perform against your peers or an arbitrary time objective. Instead, it should be about the choices you make, the attitude you choose and the ‘why’ that underpins your athletic journey and your journey through life.
Athletes at Passion Fit (even those that race at a high level) will tell you that we measure success and performance differently. In fact, we don’t measure them at all. We measure individualised accomplishment based on an individual’s start point and potential. These are not relative to the performance of others or to some other external, arbitrarily defined goal.
This doesn’t mean outcomes are unimportant, they just don’t define an individual’s level of accomplishment.
Instead, we understand that accomplishment can always be a choice.
True individualised accomplishment isn’t about how fast, strong or technically competent you are. To be accomplished you don’t need to have world beating goals. What matters is that the goals you do have are well thought out, you’re compelled to achieve them, and they are aligned with other areas of your life.
Accomplishment can be measured by the attitude and behaviours you choose and subsequently how well you execute the process to achieve your goals. That choice of attitude and behaviour in any given set of circumstances can never be taken away.
So if accomplishment is a set of chosen behaviours and no one can take away your ability to choose, then accomplishment, unlike winning, can always be guaranteed if you want it enough. It is always more motivating to work towards a goal which you know you can achieve with enough hard work and dedication, rather than one that depends on comparisons to others.
Many of our role models may still be those that are able to perform at a higher level than all others, but perhaps why they chose this path and how they conducted themselves on their journey should be the reason we celebrate them, rather than the winning itself.
Coming back to the original question though; ‘does winning matter?’. I have seen first-hand how a focus on accomplishment instead brings with it a deep motivation and an energy source which dwarfs all others. So, if your enthusiasm is waning, perhaps ask yourself what your goals are and if “winning” as defined here is part of your “why” then it’s time to reconsider.
Tom Ward is the co-founder & coaching strategy director of Passion Fit Coaching and Infinite Evolution.
Tom has over 30 years experience coaching in elite sport & the corporate world.
His primary focus is the creative development of innovative coaching strategies that help individuals and teams continue to thrive in both athletic & corporate environments under the demands of the ever evolving, modern world.