I write a lot of things like these – but I have to say this; why are people content with being second place? With the Olympics ending, I’ll use my country (Canada) as an example just because it’s been bothering me for the longest time.

We’re a nation that doesn’t exactly excel in the athletics category like our neighbours to the south, The United States, at least in the summer. In the Winter? That’s a different story – we’re damn near dominant, but it’s like the same story every 4 years in the summer; we’re there and when we take 2nd and 3rd place, or not even make the podium, the main thing is that “we did our personal best.”

Alright look, I used to compete in track when I was a kid, I know it takes a lot out of you, and the fact that you’re in the Olympics competing on the grandest stage in athletics in the WORLD is a blessing, but let’s be real here. Unless you’re like a small country that isn’t used to medal success, then you take what you can because you don’t have a lot of expectations, but when you live in a country that force feeds these expectations of Olympic glory, then how do you expect the people to react when we don’t get that. You hear the excuses like “we’re a winter country, that’s where we dominate,” but do we not have all four seasons in this country? Don’t make excuses, please. We’re not kids. You teach kids when they’re young that you try hard, you work hard, and aim for #1. It seems like doing your ‘personal best’ is the motto that’s more acceptable when you have other countries winning Gold left, right and centre, and meanwhile, we only have 1 lonely Gold. I hate it, I’ll admit it.

I read an article in the Metro the other day and the headline was ‘Gold is a bonus, not a necessity’ (something along those words, I’m just running off memory). They were comparing it to the fact that our athletes get better treatment and they don’t have to always go for Gold because we live in a more fortunate country than most. I say that’s a bunch of crap. What about the people who live here and like watching their team win GOLD?! Isn’t that the main objective of getting to the Olympics? To stand on that podium and hear your anthem played? To feel on top of the world? Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a good thing to get on the podium, but face it, they’ll always call you ‘a winner’ but if you’re not number one, you lost – period. That’s how most people will look at it, and I won’t lie, I look at it the same way. I like cheering for a country to victory. I don’t feel like a damn winner when I lose something I’ve been aiming hard for so many years of preparation.

Getting a 95% in a class is a great achievement, but if you lose the overall class award by 1%, that can take away from the entire work process. That happened to me. 1%. All of that work and effort to be the best, and I came up that short. It’s still hurts to this day and it happened 6 years ago. Being comfortable with losing is something that I’ll never accept. I still get mad when my teams lose every season, and when I don’t achieve my own success with what I’m going after. People say ‘well, you’ll get it next time,’ and to be quite honest, it sucks having to hear that so many times. Having to wait so long to finally achieve some sort of glory for yourself, but when it comes to the Olympics, I want my country to do well and to win big. I don’t like having to always settle for 2nd or 3rd, because we CAN win.

I’m still happy for the athletes, but this is more than just about the Olympics – this is for the people who always go on about their daily lives being comfortable with being 2nd to something or even in most cases, someone. You didn’t come into this world living life to be 2nd best. That’s even a clash of terms. The ‘BEST’ is the ultimate superlative. You can’t filter it down. There’s only one best for a reason, and everything after that is just secondary & mediocre. You have to be happy in most cases, and of course things happen that you have to just accept the loss and try again, but what I’m really trying to say is that, don’t let it constantly become a habit to the point where you’re okay with it. Losing isn’t okay. Maybe that’s just me…

That’s My Word & It STiXX