26: Get In Line And Take Your Trophy

 [00:00:00] Those that know me, realize I am not one for participation trophies. If I were well, I would be highly disappointed because I've been participating for about 40 years and have yet to be handed a trophy for that. Some kids grew up with shelves on their wall, filled with trophies, for karate and basketball and hockey and football and softball and track and the cross.

And they have metals for first place and second place in third place in any number of athletic achievements. Well, I needed no wall shelves because I had no trophies to display no metals to mountain or awards to hang up. The only type of shelf I had in my room growing up was a garage sale bookshelf.

And to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. I never was one to aim for the trophy or build a plan to earn that metal don't get me wrong. Everyone wants to succeed, and everyone wants people around them to see them succeed. But a trophy or metal to me, or we seem to bit empty. If, and when I did compete, when I didn't win that trophy, it served as a reminder that I needed to train more, to learn more, to push more, to practice more, it was a sign that the race just continued too often.

Those that did win while they won the trophy, went on the shelf, the metal was hung. The victory happened and they were done. The finish line was crossed the trophy. Can't be our reward, the competition itself, the race itself, the game itself as a reward. If we're working for the team trophy, the end of our path is going to feel empty experts in the positive psychology field.

Yes, it's happiness is now a field of study. They have uncovered research to support that the. At times the trophy at the end of the race doesn't accomplish what we thought it would. They've done facial recognition, studies of gold, silver and bronze medalists. And in hiding which metal each person won, they conduct this test of which face is the happiest.

Now, interestingly enough, the silver medalist. Is least happy consistently the bronze medalist appears incredibly happy research shows a person's happiness isn't depending on the dependent on the level of award they receive, but looking deeper, the bronze medalist is comparing themselves downward to the alternative of not having that metal at all.

And given that well, they seem pretty happy appreciating that they at least showed up on the metal stand. The silver medalist is comparing themselves to having been just one step away from gold. And the majority of time they showed up as the least happy, the gold medal winners. They are seconds away from experiencing and realizing that perhaps years or even a lifetime of work culminated in just a few seconds of recognition, they've achieved the ultimate in their field or their endeavor.

And now they're faced with this question that, that doesn't necessarily lead to happiness. Now, what. Yes, trophies and awards often lead to a marked ending and unexpected at times, unwanted, slow down and stopping point. They crossed the finish line, beware of working for the trophy trophies, come in various shapes and sizes.

We look for them in different forms for some it's literal recognition, getting to number one and telling the world about it for others. The trophy is believed to be independence. To get to a place in their career or feel that they don't need anyone else they've arrived. Their name is on the sign as it were.

And for still others it's economics. The trophy is a salary, a level of earning or hitting an arbitrary number set that seems to indicate success in any field. Our generation. Perhaps I should say my generation was cobbled slightly too much. And the next one, even more so receiving trophies, awards and recognition for just showing up delayed gratification has become a negative as opposed to a badge of honor.

So if we aren't careful, we are headed towards building extremely fragile human race. Now with all of that said last year, Was not a year of just participation it was a year that required playing all in. And if there was a year that everybody deserved a trophy, that was it.

So take your trophy, right? Get in line, walk across the stage, put the medal around your neck. High five, everybody. Gold stars, thumbs up. Yeah. Everybody won. For participating at whatever level they could, if trophies led to a marked ending, but we want to put that trophy on a wall and okay. That year we all participated last year.

Everybody earned that participation trophy. I'm not sure who came in first and it really doesn't matter. [00:05:00] Many came across that finish line, running other people were jogging, some were barely walking and a couple of just full rolled on in the story here is that we made it. But suit up, lace up and carve up because the next year, well, it promises to be a marathon, like no other why?

Because every year is.