You Don't Win a Silver

With the summer Olympic games underway, I am reminded of a lesson my mother taught me repeatedly. Actually, it's one of her slogans that I've heard countless times over the years. Mommie (that's what I call her) frequently says, "You don't win a silver, you lose a gold." My mother was very strict when I was growing up and she pressed me to always do my absolute best. I'm not saying this was a bad thing; in fact, I appreciate that she was so concerned about me succeeding in life. Still, I grew tired of hearing her slogan. When you think about it though, it makes perfect since. Rarely does one hope to win second place. Everyone wants to win first place. Give me the gold. And if you don't win first, you have to take second. You don't win it, you just have to accept it. Personally, I don't think second place means one is a loser, it's just that you didn't win first place so you have to settle for second. If I were to update Mommie's slogan, I'd say," You don't win a silver, you settle for it."