“To reach an audacious goal, we sometimes benefit from having it lie just beyond our grasp.”
Sarah Lewis, The Rise
Beyond the Quote (130/365)
Think about a time when you won – by a lot. What was going through your mind?
- “Who’s ready to celebrate?!”
- “What are we having for dinner?”
- “All of my hard work has finally paid off.”
Think also about a time when you lost – by a lot. What was going through your mind after that?
- “This isn’t for me.”
- “I’m ready for bed… It has been a long day.”
- “I don’t even want to think about competition anymore.”
Now, think about a time when you almost won – but didn’t. A time when you got such a close second that you could practically taste the first… What was going through your mind after that happened?
- “Ugh. I can’t wait to get back to my training!”
- “I’m going to get them next time!”
- “I’m going to double the amount of time I practice.”
Enter Sarah Lewis
According to Sarah Lewis and the memories I have of my past competitive experiences, there is a real power in the ‘near-win.’ It does something to you that is unlike any other outcome when in a competitive setting. Here’s how Sarah Lewis explains it in her book, The Rise: “A near win shifts our view of the landscape. It can turn future goals, which we tend to envision at a distance, into more proximate events. We consider temporal distance as we do spatial distance. (Visualize a great day tomorrow and we see it with granular, practical clarity. But picture what a great day in the future might be like, not tomorrow but fifty years from now, and the image will be hazier.)”
The ‘near-win’ makes the goal of winning feel more proximal—more close—and therefore, more accomplishable relative to our means. All you have to do is step up your training and abilities just that much extra in order to gain the competitive advantage—the vision for the win is crystal clear. On the flip side, when the goal of winning feels more distant—further away—we don’t feel the same sense of urgency or practicality. The vision of accomplishing that goal is more blurred and has a larger workload attached to it. We’re much more likely to procrastinate or focus on something else. Sound familiar?
Not only are the results of a competition a good indicator of how your motivation levels might be affected, but they’re also a good indicator of where you are in relation to your comfort zone. Let’s break down the different scenarios mentioned above and look at how competition results, emotions, and comfort zone are related:
- If you’re too far outside of your comfort zone you’ll likely get ‘blown out of the water.’ Or, you’ll panic because you’re in too far over your head and likely come out of the experience feeling embarrassed, discouraged, and de-motivated.
- If you were the one who ‘blew’ the competition out of the water, then that’s usually a pretty solid indicator that you’re well within your comfort zone and you’re not being challenged enough. This is where you start to see people express feelings of superiority, cockiness, and contentment.
- But when you’re in that, ‘almost/ so-close/ near-win’ category, you know that THAT was where you belonged. This is where the feelings of hungry, drive, and ambition are built.
So, where do you find yourself when it’s time to hear the results? Way on top? Way down low? Or ‘hungry in the middle’…? Where do you find your mind going after competitions? Are you thinking about partying, quitting, or getting back after it? Are you in the right competitive setting? Are you surrounded by the right competitors/ classmates/ colleagues? These are questions that you’re going to have to reflect on, answer, and take action on for yourself. When you do, I think you’ll find that you might be able to make some adjustments to your environments that will keep you engaged in the right challenges, with the right people, in settings that are ideal for you, that keep you hungry for growth, and focused on how you can get there. As far as motivation goes, what more could you ever ask for? Good luck.
Read Next: Jordan Peterson Quote on Winning—About Letting Growth Taking Precedence Over Victory
Don't Let the Motivation Stop There...!
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