You reach a point in life where you realise that it is not necessary to win at everything, sometimes winning isn’t helpful to our growth either, sometimes to loose is to learn.
We are programmed to win, sometimes we cheat to get there, it’s instilled in us from an early age that we have to be the best, even if this means taking out our opponents along the way. All our childhood games revolve around winning, from board games like snakes and ladders to imaginary games like cowboys and indians, doctors and nurses, the objective to solve the puzzle or win the day.
Years ago I started a bit of a tradition at my sons school sports day in the parents egg and spoon race. I did this by throwing the egg over my head and belting to the finish line to win. The children cheered loudly and half the parents followed my lead, a new tradition was born. I laughed and told my son our family motto was to win, if it meant cheating that was fine! Not so sensible when I think of it now but luckily for me, my son didn’t take any notice and saw it for the joke it was.
To conquer is to overcome, good if this is something helpful to us, such as successfully overcoming a fear or habit but not so when it is in a relationship with another.
What lessons can loosing teach us, take for example loosing your home. This might teach us that home is where our hearts are, home is a feeling not a building and home is a place full of love, not possessions. Sometimes we learn the lessons the hard way, I’m not sure of the reason for this apart from the connection to growth.
Loosing friends and lovers might teach us we are looking in the wrong place, might show us that the qualities we once thought were important are anything but, or maybe we might need time alone, to focus on ourselves. Often when I look back and think of the people who have passed through my life, I understand why they are no longer here, we just don’t speak the same language anymore. That not to say I don’t love some of those people for what they gave me but I can see why I no longer need them.
I think life is probably what we need to win at, not conquer but get though. Face the challenges as if they are a game, give of ourselves and let each lesson count. Because if we don’t we know those lessons will come around again until we do actually conquer them.
Daily Prompt – Conquer
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