New Zealand
United Kingdom
The biggest problem with completions is losing, and the discouragement that comes with it. It’s a problem none us want or like but it is a necessary truth we must live with.
The antidote for losing of course is winning! But we can’t win all the time, that is just a fact. So how can we deal with the biggest problem with competitions, here are a few ideas.
I remember when I was sitting in my car and I got a phone call from a radio station. It was for a trip to Mykonos. I couldn’t believe it. I pulled over and waited my turn to answer the ‘golden’ question. I was second in line so slightly disadvantaged but better off than the first person. When the radio DJ asked the question to me, I went with the first thing that popped into my head. Big mistake. I totally blew it. I actually did know the answer. It took me days if not weeks to get over. I was so close! If I had of just took my time to answer the question, maybe the correct answer would have come to me. Afterwards I was so upset with myself. I was completely discouraged with everything in my life including competitions.
Discouragement
To get over discouragement I decided to pick myself up and keep positive and move to the next competition. It’s important to not compare yourself to other winners and forgive yourself. It took me a long time to get over it but I do wish I had of just dusted off my negativity and got on with things. Enter and forget With problems come opportunities so every time you enter just forget about the competition and enter the next. If you put all your hopes and dreams in a few buckets you can’t see the stream ahead. Whether it’s a small loss or a big one that just go away and you were so close, remember there are thousands of competition ready for you to try again.
Lastly, don’t think of ‘losing’ as a problem. I know I’m contradicting myself but like all problems we see (and it is all perception), we feel we need to ‘fix’ them. Losing is part of the game with competitions. In fact losing is a part of life. If it were easy to win, it wouldn’t be so much fun. The reward feels so much better when we’ve hustled and struggled to get it.
Happy comping compers!