The last couple of days, I’ve had the pleasure of playing in a golf tournament with a dear friend.

Man, competition feels so good!

Now, I am not good enough or skilled enough to win the event. But I love the feeling of just competing, trying to be my best, pushing myself, striving to win.

And golf is such a beautiful game because it leads me to focus so intensely, in a way that I can only focus for short periods.

As a society, in so many ways, we have forgotten that.

In some ways we have adapted a “win at all costs” mentality (just think of the recent college admissions scandal as an example).

In other ways, we just let people slide. We encourage weakness. (Like giving EVERY kid a participation trophy.)

Somewhere along the way, we stopped asking for their best, sacrificing excellence to placate mediocrity.

Why?

There is simply nothing better than doing your best and seeing what happens.

We see this with our kids and their sports (my son’s little league teaches me more every day).

I also believe that it is okay to lose. People don’t realize that, especially in this world where everyone is just sharing their victories and highlight clips on social media (which is NOT real life).

But losing is part of the process. There’s no shame in it IF you give your all. So, own it. You can’t always control the outcome; you can only control your effort.

After all, not all players are created equal. Some people are just better, and that’s ok, too. They have been given a gift or have worked harder, and we should acknowledge that.

But why has it become so taboo to recognize and appreciate excellence?

As we close out the first quarter of 2024, I know for certain that I am going to continue to compete and be the best that I can be.

Win or lose, you’ll still get my best. I’ll always strive to be better than I was yesterday and reach my full potential. After all, the most pure form of competition is always You vs. You.

So, will you commit to doing that with me?

-J.D.