Winning is always better than losing, isn’t it?
It would seem it was better to be Barack Obama than Mitt Romney on January 20, 2013?
Better to be Ohio State than Oregon on January 12, 2015?
Better to be the Kansas City Royals than the New York Mets on November 1, 2015? Yes, winning is clearly preferred.
As we wrote here https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2013/06/06/how-to-win-a-bid-calling-contest/: I’ve heard it said many times that, “Winning a bid calling contest will change your life!” I would only add that participating in a bid calling contest — and improving oneself — is a positive change as well.
However, losing has merits as noted here by Apolo Ohno:
It is not up to me whether I win or lose. Ultimately, this might not be my day. And it is that philosophy towards sports, something that I really truly live by. I am emotional. I want to win. I am hungry. I am a competitor. I have that fire. But deep down, I truly enjoy the art of competing so much more than the result.
Can the art of competing be better enjoyed than the result? Can the journey be better than the destination? Winning is wonderful, but is it having the win or working towards the win?
In most auctioneer contests, once you win, you can’t compete anymore in that contest. Yet, everyone is trying to win, right? Sure. On the other hand, how’s losing working for everyone else? You get to compete again …
I know dozens of auctioneer contest winners personally. What appears far more important than winning a contest is what you (they) do after winning. If an auctioneer wins a contest and then disappears, the win does that auctioneer virtually no good, but the competing may still have.
Winning is a platform; a beginning point. So is not winning. What an auctioneer does after winning or not winning is all that matters, quite frankly.
In regard to whether or not it’s better to lose, finishing below first-place gives an auctioneer a clear reason to keep improving, a chance to compete again, and the thrill of maybe winning next time — a pretty good reward for finishing below the top spot.
Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, CAI, AARE has been an auctioneer and certified appraiser for over 30 years. His company’s auctions are located at: Mike Brandly, Auctioneer, Keller Williams Auctions and Goodwill Columbus Car Auction. He serves as Adjunct Faculty at Hondros College of Business, Executive Director of The Ohio Auction School and Faculty at the Certified Auctioneers Institute held at Indiana University.
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