Choir Notes

Winning and Losing
From Music and the Spoken Word
Delivered By: Lloyd D. Newell • Program 4232

We live in a competitive world where everyone experiences something of winning and losing. Who has never tasted both sweet victories and bitter defeats? We've all had our moments. We tend to pay more attention to the winners, but how we respond to the disappointments and the successes says much of our character.

Graceful winning and courageous losing represent some of life's great moments. When we have been fortunate enough to win, do we gloat? Or do we reach out to encourage those who didn't? And when we lose, do we make excuses and become bitter? Or do we find occasion to congratulate those whose performance bested our own?

After losing a hard-fought competition, a young woman noticed the varied responses of her victorious opponents. Some demonstrated generosity of spirit, going out of their
way to wish her well in the future. Others–perhaps feeling uncomfortable and unsure what to say–ignored and avoided her. The young woman learned much from their different responses and determined to become the kind of winner who does not forget those who came up short.
Winning affords the opportunity to inspire others and continue to improve ourselves. Remarkably, however, we usually learn more from our losses than from our wins. We learn to focus on our personal best. We learn to work harder. We become more empathetic and come to realize that titles, trophies, and prizes do not define our worth. Often a loss redirects and refines character in a way that a win does not.

In a sense, either a victory or a defeat can be a success if it helps us realize that our effort and attitude are more important than the outcome. No one really loses who wholeheartedly tries. And no one really wins who fails to remember and encourage others.