Success is something we all strive for. It is more than right to have that motivation in life, but when the satisfaction of winning is the new priority, then that’s when conflict arises. As teens we are constantly being faced with life altering decisions- decisions that we may feel could be the right ones or the horribly wrong ones. And deciding which one to chose depends on who you are and what morals you have or you were taught. 
A small cliché read: “Losing the battle does not mean I have lost the war.” Choosing your battles is what counts. I have had peers who would step on their own friends just to attain what they want. And this is one of those horribly wrong life altering decisions! Friendly competition is good for anyone and everyone but we must all learn that there’s a time for everything. And maybe this isn’t your time to shine brightly, and you have to learn how to lose.
In class, at home, in any competitions whether sport or academic, one must simply try his best. If you know you did the best you could then why fret when they announce someone else won first place? There is no need to curse or say mean stuff about your competitor let alone wish them bad. Instead applaud your colleague and be more proud of yourself that you completed the challenge and that you are that much closer to a new self record. We can’t always win. And once you’ve failed a few times along the way, when you finally win again it feels extra special because you know how much hard work you put into it to deserve it.
So don’t let anyone put you down because you haven’t gotten your moment of spotlight yet. Your time will come when you will shine brighter than anyone else. Then what and how you chose to portray your success in a positive manner will be the next step to inspire others to win all around you.
So this week I asked my peers: “Has there ever been a moment when you were so close to winning but you just didn’t? How did you cope with it?”
Teen Talker: “It is inevitable that once in our life we will be faced with this moment; however I choose to deal with such situations in the most educated manner as possible. From any experience whether successful or not triumphant, I try to learn from my mistakes and grow as a person.”
Shad: “Well this one time I was in a race, and I had the opportunity to win but I ended up stopping a bit and lost. I coped by encouraging myself to achieve more next time and I just set my mind that I would give it my all in order to be successful in the future.”
Maggie: “Yes there has. All I did was face reality and say that next time I will do better because not every time you will be able to be number one; there will always be someone who is stronger.”
Rashie: “Yes there has been that moment where I have been so close to winning but I guess the odds were against me even though after so much hard work, losing is like a slap on the face. I kept my head high and determined myself to keep trying.”
Jona: “Yes there was that particular moment where I almost won the bingo challenge at the Lion’s Den. I was literally a letter away. I dealt with it by keeping my head high and trying again until I succeeded.”
Ivy: “Last two years when I was vying for the title of Miss San Pedro, I had hopes of winning but I didn’t. It was heart breaking at that moment, but the judges couldn’t have chosen a better ambassador for the island.”
Mike: “Yes I have experienced that moment. I dealt rather badly with it. I turned to negative influenced to hide my pain and disappointment. I know now I did wrong and try to look at everything in different positive levels.”
Ramses: “Well let me begin by saying that winning is not everything. Taking a part in a competition, a test, a class or other activities is the main point. Participation is what counts. Once you are doing it to better yourself then failing is just natural in all humans as we are not perfect. Coping with failure is hard at times and some people take it harder than others but they shouldn’t. They should just take it as an experience to better themselves and learn from their mistakes. I learned to cope with mistakes from sports, school and even friendship since not even those are perfect but I just looked at it in the bright side and tried to better myself.”
Jasmine R: “I think we all have, whether simple as a bet with a friend or a bigger match with something you want that is at stake. Learning how to lose is the best way to cope as well as believing you tried your best and letting it go.”
Anonymous: “Many a times I am faced with this situation. Usually I just beat myself up and turn to alcohol for comfort. I am trying to cope in more positive manners like writing and listening to music.”
Victor: “Well yes there have been many times when I’ve been so close to winning but I just didn’t. Sometimes when you’re so close to achieving something either a goal in sports or any other activity and things turn on you it makes you feel defeated. Maybe it was because of overconfidence or not enough hard work for that final win. I coped by telling myself that I would push harder to succeed but over all I would challenge myself even more so that one day I would become the winner.”
Anonymous2: “Everyone has been in a situation where they must watch a win part from their reach. Personally, I often accept the fact that my team members and I will sometimes have to be defeated. When it comes to competitions everything must be taken in strides. Even if you didn’t win, there is always a valuable lesson and experience to be gained from the circumstances.”
