Is success only about winning?

For some athletes the answer is as simple as yes or no, but for many athletes or people involved in sport it’s much more difficult to define success and to determine success if you are less sure of the answer. If your version of success is defined by winning, then it’s clear that your decisions about reaching your goal must lead to the win. If your version of success is defined by not winning (but not necessarily losing), then in contrast, your decisions about reaching your goal are more likely to be process driven. This is where it all gets a bit complicated. We often realise that if we are focussed on the win, we have to get better and this in turn means that we have to focus at least some of our energy on improving our abilities and learning new skills and grudgingly being part of a process (even if we don’t like it or would rather just get straight down to winning). On the flip side, the ‘non-win’ focussed athlete often develops skills, improves their performance and willingly participates in the process. By default, they achieve more success, or even win simply by executing all they have learned.

This topic is described as Achievement Motivation. What is it that drives you towards your goals? Another way of thinking about your achievements or successes is to consider how you perceive your success with reference to yourself and others. Gaining satisfaction within your own terms of reference and self-competence will generally suggest that you are more task or process oriented: you like to develop competence in your ability. On the other hand, using others as a reference for your success, ie., perceiving that you are better or worse than them, suggests that you are ego or (established) ability oriented: you like to demonstrate ability.