• Mary Ann "Skipper"
  • 2011
  • 0

In addition to watching the Academy Awards to see what people are wearing and who shows up with whom, we tune in to see who wins.

Yes, contrary to today’s popular culture, someone walks away with the coveted Oscar.

Everyone does not get a trophy for showing up.

Although the Academy has changed the language from, “The winner is” to “The Oscar goes to,” only one person or group in the nominated category gets to take the trophy home.

In our society today many are fearful of creating competition because feelings may be hurt if someone does not win.

This belief helps create an attitude of entitlement and can impact how hard someone works. If they are going to win just by showing up, how much do they need to differentiate themselves?

We also do not prepare children well with this mindset. While some may think it helps build self-esteem, it actually can create less resilience and self-reliance. Learning how to lose can be a great gift.

And like most things, with practice, we get better at handling.

Competition exists in the real world. People compete for jobs, customers, projects, grants and contracts daily. Just ask Boeing who last week won a 10-year competition with their European rival to build planes for the US government. Or check with the Pittsburgh Steelers who recently lost the Super Bowl.

Having the mindset and ability to deal with loss is a life skill. While taking home the Oscar or its equivalent is more fun and rewarding, knowing how to lose is an art. It may even require some acting.