It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. ~Theodore Roosevelt

Those immortal words, spoken by the bull moose himself, Teddy Roosevelt, have never been more true than today.

In this day and age, when we dare to dream, strive to achieve and play to win, and there are more eyes on us than ever before, that increased attention may cause some to pause before undertaking a challenge. What if we fail? What if we don't win? What if we look stupid because we didn't do what we set out to do?

Well, that's the chance winners take. Losers don't take the chance. They've lost before the starting gun goes off because they aren't in the ranks of the courageous that are at the starting line with butterflies in their stomachs, fighting doubts, feeling the aches and pains that they fear may sideline them.

Winners know that the odds are stacked against them, and the competition or the situations they face create unfair disadvantages. But they play anyway. Winners know that their bodies can't take much more punishment, their minds can't handle much more stress or pressure, and they play anyway.

Winners push past the unfairness of it all. They keep playing, keep working, keep doing their best, and this is what makes them winners. One does not have to win to be a winner. And though a championship trophy, ring or cup would be a very satisfying conclusion to a concerted effort, it's not the only indication of victory.

Victory lies in experience. It lies in harnessing courage. It exists in the soul of the person who is driven. Some of the most famous athletes ever to play the game retired without a championship. Are they losers? I think not.

When it comes to winning a championship, writing a best selling book, creating a successful product or any other activity that involves risk, not only does the participant have to do everything they can to be successful, but other forces have to align to make it possible.

Why does a man with no Super Bowls get a statue? Simple. Because he is still a winner. Getty-Joel Auerbach
Why does a man with no Super Bowls get a statue? Simple. Because he is still a winner. Getty-Joel Auerbach
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How could Dan Marino, the best quarterback until Peyton Manning, retire without a Super Bowl? He held just about every record a QB could hold, but never won the Lombardi trophy.

How could two of the best players in baseball history, Ty Cobb and Ted Williams, have records that still stand today, and not a World Series among their accomplishments? Williams single season batting average is still the best ever, and Cobb's lifetime average has yet to be equaled. Still, neither won the big game. Why?

Ted Williams, still widely considered the best hitter of all time, never won a World Series title. Getty Images
Ted Williams, still widely considered the best hitter of all time, never won a World Series title. Getty Images
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The answer is simple. We don't know. We just don't know.

But I have an answer. These players won, and they won big. They just didn't win their sports most coveted prizes.

Winning is in playing. Winning is in feeling the aches in our bones, knowing we gave our all yesterday. It is in the connection I make with my soul as I revise and edit my book. It's in the confidence I gain as I tell myself I can do it, even if I doubt it a little bit. Then my friends tell me that I can do it, and my wife tells me she believes in me, and I overcome doubt. Winning is in overcoming doubt.

Do you think Dan Marino thought he could win it all? You're damn right he did. But he didn't. Do you think he's proud of his career? He should be. If he isn't, I sure am.

I'm writing this because over the weekend, one of my favorite teams, the CSU Rams Volleyball team didn't win the NCAA National Championship as I hoped they would. Also, the Loveland Titans Pop Warner football team made it all the way to the Super Bowl in Orlando, Florida on the ESPN field. They lost. What a blow. Well, there's always a winning team, and learning team. Oftentimes, the learning team walks away with more than the winning team, even if it isn't a trophy.

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