The 2014 Winter Olympics staged their glitzy closing ceremony last night. And in the wake of the competition that just came to an end I wanted to sit down and talk about winning and losing.

If you’re an Olympian, you dream of that gold medal. At the same time for a lot of the athletes, just GOING to the Olympics is achieving that goal. That is a big deal!

You’re probably thinking of that old phrase, “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose; it’s how you play the game.” If you’re a parent, you have maybe even used it once or twice… or more!

The problem I see in our society is often competition is taken to extremes! Either you steer away from competition altogether, or on the totally opposite side, you’re obsessed with the win! What drives me even madder is parents who don’t bother teaching their children about competition, they reward based on participation. Like that Little League team where everyone gets a trophy? Is that your parenting style?

If it is, you’re setting your kid up to fall flat on their face. For one, it feeds the entitlement mentality that expects a trophy, a bonus or a high paycheck for putting in very little effort. And second of all it does not motivate your kids to want to strive to DO better. There is such a thing as healthy competition.

When talking about competition it is easy to use sports analogies, but in their lifetime, your kids will face many different types of wins and losses. But you have to equip them on HOW to handle it. No one else will teach them. In fact, quite the opposite, schools and the media encourage the mediocre.

Make sure whatever passion your kids are pursuing, they do so with excellence and a spirit of achievement. Also remain vigilant that they never sacrifice their integrity on the altar of a victory. It’s up to you to teach them the difference and what is really important.

Don’t forget to look at your own mindset. Are you or your spouse the one obsessed with “the win”? What examples are you setting? Always remember what is most important. Is it winning or being in the spotlight? Or is it your relationships, your integrity and increasing your skills?

Leave me your comments below on today’s message and don’t forget to Like and Share these thoughts with your friends. Join us today for The Dani Johnson Show at 12 pm ET/11 am CT to continue this talk on healthy competition.

In great faith,

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