Those who know me, know I’m not the biggest sports fan. But I do enjoy backing my city whenever one of the respective sports teams finds themselves in the later stages of the playoffs. Last year, when the Avalanche won the NHL championship, my fiancée and I went to a couple watch parties, and enjoyed the energy downtown. This year, the same was true for the Denver Nuggets, as they won their first NBA championship in franchise history. The energy around the city was palpable as they made their way to the finals and on the night they won the championship, a mixture of cheers and fireworks could be heard around the city from my balcony.
You don’t have to enjoy professional sports to know what it’s like to win and lose. We all do it, on some scale, almost daily. Everyone knows the feeling of success or failure after a long journey. Putting everything we have into an idea, so we can see it to fruition. Rising to a challenge, whether it’s presented to us or created by us. Sometimes, just getting up in the morning and being a productive, functioning member of society is an opportunity for success or failure. Watching a team of players and coaches, of varying ages, come together to achieve success is always one of the more inspiring things you can witness. Young players who are fresh in their career and coaches who may be closer to the end of theirs, both with tears in their eyes, celebrating together.
I’ve overcome a lot of challenges in my life, I’ve seen ideas to completion, and whether I’ve failed or succeeded wasn’t usually important in the end. What was most important was the idea of not giving up. Overcoming doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to win or lose, it means you’re going to get through it. Finishing what you start, because you think it will be successful, or quitting because you don’t, is more representative of your values, than starting at all. I’m reminded of times in my own life when the end was uncertain, but giving up was never an option. The feeling of winning and success is definitely more enjoyable than the feelings of failure, but finding the lesson in both keeps you both humble and hungry.