Winning at All Costs

There is a certain amount of flair that goes along with the idea of “winning at all costs.” The phrase exudes total commitment and dogged determination. It carries with it the idea of complete focus and unrelenting drive. But can it also get us in trouble?

I think it depends on what “winning” looks like. Is it a promotion? A personal goal? A net worth milestone? A certain level of social or economic status?

It all hinges on how meaningful and impactful the objective truly is. If the “win” is not worth the price to achieve it, winning at all costs might leave one destitute.

How valuable is millions of dollars in retirement if your health is so poor you cannot enjoy it? How meaningful is the corner office at work if you go home to an empty house because you sacrificed your family to secure it? How fulfilling is social prominence if you have had to abandon your values and convictions to achieve it?

When the “win” is misguided or poorly defined, winning at all costs is often far too costly. If we are not careful, we can too easily sacrifice the essential for hollow victories. We must define what matters most in our lives and tenaciously protect it, even at all other costs.

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” – Mark 8:36

Comments

Toxic Humility

We have all seen false humility: the guy who tries to hide his arrogance with feigned modesty. It’s usually pretty obvious and always obnoxious. But there is also another variation of false humility out there: toxic humility. This is often displayed in self-deprecating talk and a lack of self-confidence, belittling or undermining one’s own talents and abilities. The danger in this kind of behavior is twofold: it is too often accepted as true humility and like a virus, it spreads doubt and disbelief. To clarify, it is not that the bearer of this toxic humility isn’t honest about his view of himself. That is the very issue: he absolutely believes he has little value or utility. He thinks downplaying his own worth is humility but I disagree. CS Lewis said it best when he wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it's thinking about yourself less.” His point being, true humility is not an ever-present raincloud of self-doubt that follows you around. It’s a focus on...

Flower Among Thorns

About six or seven years ago, my wife was around three months pregnant as we eagerly anticipated the birth of another child. One night, as I lay sleeping, I had a dream that our baby was born. It was a beautiful little girl with thin, wispy hair and large, bright eyes punctuating her beautiful face. I held her proudly in my arms and stared down at this precious little creation. I carefully handed her off to her older brother, who was just a toddler himself, as he sat on the coach, arms outstretched, anxiously awaiting the chance to hold his baby sister. I helped him prop up a pillow underneath his little arms to help support my daughter and then stepped back to take in the amazing sight as he gazed down at her with both pride and amazement in his eyes. As I stood there watching them, the dream quickly faded. When I woke up, my eyes met the tearful glance of my wife. “I’m bleeding,” she said as she fought back the emotions, “I think I am miscarrying.” Those words sunk deeply i...

The Art of Intentionality

“Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make you.” – Richie Norton I am not even sure who Richie Norton is, but I love that quote! I imagine a ship drifting out to sea, pushed around by the wind and the waves. No course of direction, yet the captain is frustrated when the ship ends up dashed against the rocks, trapped on a sandbar or marooned on an inhospitable island. It is easy to complain when life takes us where we do not want to go. But who is really to blame if we have never set our sails to align us along an appropriate course? Do we blame the waves, wind and the weather? Or should we blame the captain of the ship? It is our life and our ship. We must set our sails with intentionality and determined choices. Otherwise, we are doomed to aimlessly drift along according to the choices and decisions of others.

Mindset Matters

Search This Blog