Winning The First Victory

ByMatthew

Winning is important to me, but what brings me real joy is the experience of being fully engaged in whatever I’m doing. – Phil Jackson

You can always win once: be engaged and present with what you’re doing and you’ve won the first victory.

To win again, at the end, is nice, but wholly unnecessary.

For someone who is present and engaged in the game itself* then any outcome labeled as “winning” or “victory” is irrelevant – or at most, trivial.

Being there while you’re playing is winning.

*  *  *

* “Game” refers to whatever one is doing; anything from washing the dishes to pitching in the World Series.

Similar Posts

  • The Fool’s Game of Balance

    ByMatthew

    The idea of balance is prevalent for people today, Specifically, the meme of work/life balance. Many see this as a call to allocate one’s life in certain proportions. As if there is an ideal amount of time for each area that will “balance” the scales, and presumably, result in happiness and fulfillment at work and…

  • You ALWAYS Have a Choice

    ByMatthew

    The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. – Alice Walker Even if the consequences might be unpleasant, you always have a choice. You can, if you calm and quiet your mind, choose the vast majority of your thoughts. When you manage your thoughts well, you will…

  • Forgiveness

    ByMatthew

    Not forgiving is sometimes a function of not trusting our ability to be strong and whole in the face of the thing or person we have forgiven. We are glad (eventually) for the realization that someone, or something, has harmed us and we want to be vigilant against future injury, or error. So we remain…

  • What Can You Do?

    ByMatthew

    You might not want to do everything you imagine, but you can’t do anything you can’t imagine doing. I pondered over the above words a fair amount. I wanted them to be expansive and positive, while still defensible against critics and pessmists. I wanted them to strike a balance between what people often see as…

  • Is Love Necessary?

    ByMatthew

    In terms of what you do, I mean? Should you, as so many say, love what you do? Read this article and come back . . . . *  *  * So, what do you think? Has your answer changed, or evolved even? I think, as the author does as well (in his own way),…