I woke today with my mind in full gear. This sign of mental activity caught my attention. Although I cannot explain why, I decided to take what was spinning in my head and turn it into today’s article submission. I may seem to be meandering. Here goes.
The first thought that shot through my mind when I opened my eyes was, “I’m not dead yet.” I looked straight up and saw the ceiling before peering out the window to see what appeared to be a sun trying to brighten up the day. “Mike.”, I said to myself. “It seems you have been given another opportunity to do some good today. What are you planning on doing?”
For reasons still unclear to me, a second thought shot out of left field to take center stage. “Show me a good loser, and I will show you a loser.” Where did that come from? Then, a third: “Winning is not everything. Winning is the only thing.” These two sporting philosophies opened the door for a third. “Trash Talk” has become a competitive strategy.” Sometimes my mind follows a path of its own.
I gave credit to the recent Olympic games for digging up the first two soundbites with our recent embarrassing political fiasco for the reference to “bad-mouthing” the competition. (How childish!)
I saw the clock indicating 6 am as I sat up straight confirming my four limbs were still in somewhat working order before asking myself, “What is this world coming to?” Winning at ALL costs. Whining if not winning … and throwing slurs at our opponents as if this is considered to be admirable behavior.
Color me naïve, but as each new day unfolds, I see things through a completely different lens; from a contrarian perspective. Having accumulated my share of both wins and losses during my 75 years, I have faced both competitors that I admired while others having me scratching my head leaving me with a foul taste in my mouth. Regardless, I pride myself on always embracing the challenge.
In hindsight, I realize that many of my losses came from the hands of more skilled opponents. I appreciate that a handful of losses were the result of my not preparing properly or due to inferior practice sessions. But a number of outcomes came from an unkind bouncing ball, an invisible gust of wind doing its thing, or a personal call from a judge or referee not going my way.
Bottom Line: You aren’t going to win them all.
I interpret my competitive existence differently from popular beliefs. Winning is not the only thing. Winning is the result of a great deal of preparation coupled with a greater deal of luck. Show me a good loser, and I will show you a person who respects his/her opponent’s talent and who realizes they have more work to do. Show me a person who “talks trash” and I will show you an unfocused individual who lacks the innate skill to get the job done between the lines based on talent.
Now that I have shared today’s mental warm-up, I am better prepared to face USA Today’s Daily Crossword puzzle before solving today’s WORDLE in less than five attempts. Then comes my big conundrum: What to have for breakfast?
Let another day begin.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club, mike@mikemarchev.com.
*** You want more to think about? Check out my weekly podcast (Miked Up Marchev). Also listed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and iHeartRadio.
