I want to win.
And I want the person competing against me to perform well.
Those two things can exist together.
There is something deeply satisfying about a competition in which someone delivers an excellent performance and asks you to bring everything you have.
You recognise the quality. You understand how difficult it was. Now you have your own work to do.
That is a challenge worth having.
I can appreciate another athlete’s ability without becoming any less ambitious about my own performance. I can congratulate them sincerely and still wish I had finished ahead of them.
Of course I can.
Disappointment does not make the congratulations dishonest. Admiration does not remove the desire to compete.
Sport gives us situations where several feelings arrive together. You are pleased for someone. Frustrated with your own result. Curious about something they did exceptionally well.
There is a lot to learn if you allow yourself to stay interested.
The person ahead of you may show you a possibility you had not considered. The person behind you may be doing one particular thing better than you are.
Pay attention.
I want to compete in a field where excellence is welcome, including when somebody else produces it.
Then I want to go back to training.
Give me a performance worth beating.
That is an invitation to work.... and I love it!
Silvia
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