Where there's a will ...
Where there's a will ...
In war there is no prize for runner-up. We shouldn't unduly
lament Indonesia's second place finish at the recently-concluded
SEA Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
Winning on foreign soil is difficult indeed. The environment,
sometimes, can even be hostile. We should remember that the odds
are usually in favor of the host country. However, let's not
allow complacency and over-confidence to set in, as perhaps
happened in soccer.
As long as you put in your best efforts, that's good enough.
Winning or losing is secondary. What counts is the spirit behind
participation and sportsmanship, and how well the Indonesian
teams proved themselves at the Games.
Furthermore, people's high expectations create a psychological
pressure on the performers, resulting in an added stress to win
for their country. We should never judge the athletes by a tally
of gold medals.
In sports you win some and you lose some. But it is hard to
find moderate winners and graceful losers. For example, the movie
Apollo 13, recently screened here, described the mission as a
"successful failure" when ground control managed to bring the
astronauts back home alive.
One should, of course, analyze the causes and learn from past
mistakes. But you can't undo whatever has happened. So, stop
wasting your mental energy in post-mortems. Stop running your-
self down, switch to positive moods and sharpen your will.
Start enthusiastically charting about what you can do now.
Start controlling the future with courage and conviction.
Remember, winners live in the future and losers live in the past.
Lloyd Allard, in his book How to improve your sale performance
says: "Push yourself a little harder, a little farther and a
little longer than before. People have the ability to do anything
they decide to do. It takes commitment to say -- 'I will find out
what it takes to win, and then I'll do whatever it takes to
win!'"
For success in any sphere of activity, attitude is much more
important than aptitude. Optimism surely gets you moving. A man
has to be only a few inches taller than others to stand out in a
crowd.
The slogan "We Must Win" (Kita Harus Menang) should really aim
at higher goals -- not just winning in events. It should also
encompass good behavior, discipline, fair play, will power,
camaraderie, persistence, self-confidence and above all,
patriotism. Minus these qualities, medals mean nothing. We should
seek greatness, as greatness is more enduring.
Goals are more easily reached when the effort is shared.
Behind every successful athlete is a team. So work as a motivated
and committed team to succeed and achieve the desired results. I
wish you all good luck and success in your future endeavors.
By the way, I would like to convey my special thanks to Mr. S.
Harmono for the nice sentiments expressed in his letter in the
Post of Dec. 15, 1995.
Please also let me avail this opportunity to wish all readers
a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
D. CHANDRAMOULI
Jakarta