Mount Vernon High School

December 22, 2023 Win In the Dark The idea of becoming a champion is of course pretty attractive because in the important areas of life, we all want to win. And even though there isn’t a scoreboard keeping track of our performance and validating our success, there’s still competition happening all around us every day. Sometimes we’re competing against someone else who’s after the same thing we are. Other times it’s not another person that tests us, but some challenging situation or circumstance we have to overcome. In all honesty, most often the toughest competition we face is ourselves and our own potential. No matter what we’re facing, it’s important to recognize what our opponent looks like, and then - if we’re serious about success - to step in the arena and compete. It’s easy, of course, to commit to competing when we step under the bright lights of the big stage with everyone watching. But who we really are and what we’re really made of is more often defined by how we choose to approach all those other moments, the ones that actually make up the majority of our experience. How worthy we are of winning in the big moments is really determined by our willingness to compete and win in all those moments that no one else will ever see or celebrate, when we’re tasked with working on our own in the dark. I first heard that phrase - “win in the dark” - from a fantastic book of the same title by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin. That concept is really all about embracing the harsh and rather uncomfortable reality that real, authentic success requires. You can find all kinds of quotes that attempt to clarify what really makes a champion a champion, but the best ones all speak to that idea - that it’s not really the outcome that defines the champion, but their relentless commitment instead to the process of working and improving and, ultimately, to becoming someone worthy of winning. Here are four of my favorite champion-defining quotes... Each of those powerful quotes highlights that the champion was committed to doing what success required of them long before they ever achieved their desired outcome. Each one serves as a powerful reminder for those of us who are here today with a desire to win in some important area of our own lives - in sports, at work, at home, or anywhere else. It’s a reminder that a commitment to the process puts us in the best position to get the outcome we want, and that winning under the bright lights of the big stage with everyone watching starts with a commitment to winning in the dark. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that today matters. I don’t know what today's competition looks like for you exactly, but if you’re someone who says you want to do something meaningful and significant in life, then I’m confident that competition exists. Maybe it’s you against someone else who’s after the same thing are you. Maybe it’s not another person testing you today, but some challenging situation or circumstance you have to overcome. In all honesty, the toughest competition you face today might be with yourself and your own potential. No matter what it is that's in front of you - and just as importantly, even if no one else ever sees or celebrates your winning performance - I want to challenge and encourage you today to step in the arena and compete. Do what champions do, and win - even if it is in the dark. -Travis