Alan Weiss’s Monday Morning Memo® – 8/1/16

The Olympics begin at the end of the week, and Brazil has been getting quite a rap: disease, pollution, corruption, crime, poor construction, huge debt, questionnalbe security, withdrawals by some competitors—the list goes on and on! Yet the games will proceed, with huge media coverage, and will no doubt be exciting. A Rhode Island rowing team member said, “I don’t care how polluted the water is, I’m rowing!”

Such is the allure of great talent wanting to compete. I recall a quote from a Harvard rowing coach whose team finished last one year: “There’s nothing wrong with being the eighth best in the world.”

Maybe so, but no one goes to the Olympics chanting, “Go for the bronze!” The athletes compete to be the best and, thereby, win or lose, bring out the best in themselves. That’s why 99% of those who can go do go, that’s why we watch them, that’s why great obstacles are overcome or tolerated to proceed.

When you strive to be the best, you often produce your personal best. There’s nothing wrong with trying to win, beyond the joy of merely playing the game, that’s why they bother to keep score. Go for the gold in life. You may be surprised at just how great you can be.

We tend to use arguments like a sledgehammer with which we deal blow upon blow upon the head of the unfortunate victim of our apostolic zeal, as if we could stun him into belief and convert by concussion.

– Caryll Houselander, English Mystic

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