Win Humble

One of my mentors, Seth Godin, said this on a recent blog titled, Compared to what?

Organized sports, particularly for school-age kids, present a real challenge. The results are easily measured and are on just one axis. Points scored. Winning vs. losing.

If we teach a child to identify with the outcomes in this way, we might create arrogance. If you win, after all, you must be better than the others.

This is where the big man on campus comes from, the push for dominance and the brittle self-worth that can lead to bullying.

And of course, it’s not just sports, and it’s not just high school.

But in any scarcity-driven competition, sooner or later, you’re not going to win. You’re not going be state champ, national champ, world champ… Sooner or later, if you’re honest, you’ll need to acknowledge that winning isn’t going to happen.

And then what happens?

If you have a chance to play a game that’s based on scarcity and winner-take-all, perhaps it pays to play a different game instead.

Seth Godin

Well said, Seth. It pays to play a different game instead. In that spirit, I’m launching a new program to play a different game called, Win Humble. What does it mean to win humble? Here are the mission, vision, and values:

Mission

The mission of the Win Humble program is for every athlete to focus on giving their best effort every day. It’s less about the outcome than it is about whether they put in the best effort relative to the team’s potential.

Vision

Win Humble’s vision for every athlete is to use their talents and gifts to serve the team, not themselves. Winning is associated with success, but not wins and losses. Success is peace of mind knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. Win or lose, we do so with humility and gratitude.

Values

• Start each day with a positive outlook. We have an attitude of gratitude.
• When something doesn’t go our way, we choose to stay positive. We may not have control over what happens, but we can choose how we react.
• Learn from losses. We won’t allow ourselves to go into a dark place when things don’t work out. Thinking back on how we felt and what we did on the field is a greater positive than whatever benefits might have come from winning.
• Be mentally tough. Mental toughness is centered on doing the best we can in the present while believing we can do even better in the future.
• We are never victims. We gain nothing if we get angry or frustrated. By staying in that place, we will just make things worse. We will get off the X to move forward.

Are you “all in” to Win Humble? I am.