What makes a winner?
Originally published at Lost Without You. Please leave any comments there.
Mood : Gloomy
Music : Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
TV : News
“The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better” - Barbara Pletcher
If you read my previous entry you’ll know I’ve been watching Wimbledon lately. A constant question has been creeping into my head throughout the tournament, and that is What makes a winner? Is it sheer determination? Skills? Or something else? I’ve been watching the Williams sisters play, and they always seem to come up with that little something extra when they’re losing. I’m not too fond of their sportsmanship and attitude in press interviews, but I really admire that never-say-die attitude they bring to their matches. It’s like losing is not an option.
I’ve seen a lot of players crumble under the pressure, or choke, which is the common sports term for it. They seem to clam up mentally when they’re losing. That semi-final match between Justine Henin and Marion Bartoli is a classic example of this. Henin was playing well and winning, but suddenly Bartoli starts fighting back and Henin doesn’t know what to do. She ended up losing the match.
All this kind of makes me wonder if the world is divided into two types of people: those who know what to do when they’re fighting a losing battle and those who break under the pressure, to which a nagging voice inside my head would reply with “There are two types of people; those who divide the world into two types of people and those who don’t.” I’m not too sure who said that, and I’ve probably misquoted it too, but I think there’s some truth to it. I usually fall into the latter category, I don’t divide the world into types of people, but lately I seem to be doing a fair bit of it. Going back to my previous statement, if the world can indeed be divided into two types of people, I definitely belong to the latter category. I break under the pressure and give up way too easily. It’s the way I’ve been living my life lately and it’s depressing. I need a change.
So what do you guys think? What makes a winner? I think it’s a combination of things. Skills are obviously required, but I think you need to have the right mental attitude too. In fact, I think the right mental attitude will get your further than skills. You have to believe in yourself. I really need to strengthen my own mental attitude towards life.