It's not Always a Race


We’re told that it’s a dog eat dog world out there. Winner takes all. To the winner go the spoils. Except that, as Seth Godin so wisely wrote:
“Some things are races, but not many.”
Knowing what is or what isn’t a race is key because how you go about them changes dramatically, as Godin says:
“A race is a competition in which the point is to win. You're not supposed to enjoy the ride, learn anything or make your community better. You're supposed to win.”

In a different blog, Godin points out a related tendency to rank things:
“What's the best college in the US? What about the best car? Best stereo speakers? Best pizza?”
We know the right answer is that it varies based on which criteria matter more to each of us. And yet we always seek out those “forced” rankings:
“Forced rankings abandon multiple variables, and they magnify differences that aren't statistically significant.”

The only time we ever say it’s not a race or that the forced ranking isn’t right is when we, er, lose. Like my daughter, who used to race us (stairs v/s lift), and then declare, “It’s not a race”… if she lost. But if she won, it was time for a victory dance and lots of jeering.

I guess if we can’t learn to take our losses gracefully, then we just find it easier to switch to variations of the age-old theme of “Those grapes are sour”. All the upside, none of the downside: ain’t that the holy grail?

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