Every Loss is an Advantage
There’s something to be said about the long-term benefits of losing.
I had a lot of second place finishes as an NCAA swimmer in college, both individually and as part of a team. I think that I would’ve become too complacent, had any of them been a win. Winning can give you a false sense of finality to life.
Instead it’s almost two decades later and I still get excited to exercise every morning. I still like to test my limits and compete. It’s all still fun to me.
This can be applied to anything in life. There’s nothing that softens someone like an easy victory. Bane said something about this before he broke Batman’s back in The Dark Knight Rises. “Victory has defeated you.”
One thing I enjoy about running is that I’m not the fastest. I just enjoy it. There’s no risk of victory defeating me.