A Truer Meaning of 'Winning'

I learned a valuable lesson about winning last night… attending a prestigious competition.  The Best of the Best were set to compete… and the ‘winner’ was to be determined not by quantifiable facts… but by the subjective observation of anonymous judges…

The crowded room was silent with anticipation… “And, the ‘winner’ is…”

The name of the proclaimed ‘winner’ was announced, and then a split-second of awkward silence followed as the audience realized that their anticipated ‘winner’ had not been selected...  Jubilation!.. shock… Celebration!.. confusion filled the room as the silent debate began regarding what just happened.  As a certified (objective) judge and as a close (biased) friend of one of the contestants, I had my own strong opinion regarding who should have received the 1^st Place trophy.  But, my vote didn’t count last night… and my guy didn’t win… Or, did he?

I’m not talking about whether he would’ve, could’ve or should’ve been selected as the designated ‘winner’… I’m talking about a truer meaning of winning… because I was there from the beginning.  The early written outline of his creation… the first times that he presented it to a group… the evolution of drafts, presentations and improvements… resulting in the final Masterpiece that was presented last night.

My guy did win… as did every single other contestant… because they did their absolute Best… in the planning and practice and execution of their craft.  None of us need the validation of a title or a trophy at the end of the day.  It is the Journey that gives us a truer meaning of ‘Winning’.  Congratulations everyone!