On Winning

Come on, you know the feeling. "I won!!!" It could be a spelling bee, Monopoly, tag, or you got the Smithco account, there's nothing like winning.
As Mike Collard, my son's old - and very good- grade school basketball coach used to say, "The more you win, the more you like it."
Winning takes many forms. A friend recently informed me they hit 100% at work. He's responsible for quality control, and they nailed it- for the first month in the company's history, nothing got returned.
Time for a little chest pounding!
What do you do when you win?
It depends on what or how you win, really.
A former employee- a mechanic- successfully removed a u-bolt and replaced it while in the field. He needed to employ some tricks to remove the bolt, rusted and bent in place for years.
He hung the old bolt from the mirror on his service truck for six months.
It reminded him that he overcame and got the job done.
Trophies, plaques and certificates remind us of past accomplishments and can motivate us to excellence.
Last Saturday I won a speech competition in Toastmasters.
When they announced the winner, the sound guy played 'Star Wars' music, the crowd stood and applauded. i walked to the stage, the crowd yelled and clapped.
Sweet!
All the work, the rehearsing and practice paid off.
I got a little trophy. Big deal. Probably worth five bucks.
But what it means?
Priceless.
I keep trophies and awards around to remind me of those fond times. But I don't want to live in the past.
Because the more I win, the more I like it.
What makes you a winner?