How to Win and Lose with dignity?

Martin Luther King Jr. has said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not how well he does during times of comfort and convenience, but during times of trials and tribulations.” 

Life is full of ups and downs, and everyone is fighting a battle of their own- sometimes they win, sometimes they don’t.

Whatever happens during the fight portrays how skillful the fighters were, but whatever happens in the consequence of it portrays what kind of characters do the winner and loser sides have.

Here is some unsolicited  but vital advice to win and lose with dignity, and to abstain being an arrogant winner, or a hateful and angry loser.

How To Win With Grace?

Give credit-
You don’t win wholly if you don’t win hearts.

A humble person always gives credit to the team and those who helped make the victory happen, even when he is entirely responsible for the win.

All the people, who, on the way along, motivated you, gave you courage, kindness, or just stood there by your side, deserves to get the praise for everything they did.

Celebrate gracefully-

There have been always a winner and a loser, but if you celebrate your victory by using inappropriate gestures, and rubbing it on your opponent’s face, it will only give a boost to your ego and show you as a smug egotist.

You must strive to celebrate like a true sportsman or a realist- when it comes to the battles of life.

The loser’s efforts-

There will always be the losing side, blaming it on their luck. What you, as a winner needs to do is to show empathy towards them. Be kind, be inspiring- shake the fallen team’s hands and congratulate them on their efforts. They gave you a fight, and even though you fought back with better strokes, they were there too.

Do not belittle the loser-

The way of rejoicing your win is to desist any way to punish the loser any further.

Do not be so brash, so bold, so arrogant- that instead of inspiring the world, you show them how weak you are as a winner, it won’t make your victory any more real.

Victory is enough, do not taunt and belittle your rivals after defeating them. Lack of empathy and compassion never portrays you as the true winner after all.

Tell them they were a worthy foe-

Your rival gave the fight to win it, so make sure that you let him know that he was a worthy one.

While being humble or empathetic, do not show that the victory doesn’t mean anything to you, or that you didn’t deserve to win. Now that you’re the winner, make sure that the opponent knows that you wanted to win too, that it was a big deal for you as well. Take pride in your win, and that’s how you can be a true winner.

How To Lose With Dignity

Be responsible for the loss-

You fought, but you failed. Now don’t give excuses, don’t blame it on the referee, the teacher, the opponent.

Accept responsibility for the consequences of your fight.

Every cloud has a silver lining, and when it comes to real life, it doesn’t matter if it rained or not, someone has to lose if someone gets to be the winner.

“Our dignity is not in what we do, but what we understand.” – George Santayana

I believe this dignity quote will give you insights into the matter.

Praise the winner’s skills-

No one respects a man who does not leave the field with his dignity intact. If your opponent showed it to the world, that how great of a winner he is- show them how great you can be in your defeat!

Bow out gracefully, praise the skills of the winner, because he surely fought better. Be so gracious in your defeat, that you come out as a winner when it comes to inspiring those who look up to you, in thick and in thin.

Learn from your failure-

A man who not only handles the ups and downs of life with grace but also learns from his failures is the man who can win the biggest battles in the future. Don’t let defeat, defeat you.

If you must go out, go out with true valiance. Accept your losses, learn from them, and pursue and strive to be better. “Whatever hurts, instructs!”

Life is a battle. An endless journey with a new competition every day. It is up to you- You can either let negativity surround you, let hate, anger or arrogance in your vibes, or, you can be kind, authentic, positive and generous, no matter what.