Guest post from John Wilder at Wilder Wealthy Wise.
“I disagree with what you said about the underlying theme of chapter eight in this book. It’s really not about man’s struggle with double-sided tape. It’s a metaphor for the Mesopotamian social hierarchy during the Bronze Age.” – Homestarrunner
The easiest way to get gold, silver, and bronze Olympic medals? Kleptomania.
One theme I keep returning to in this blog is purpose. I have a friend (you’re shocked, I know) and we talk from time to time. One observation that he’s made is that they’ve done studies of people who have won medals in competitions like the Olympics®. You’d think that the person who was happiest was the person who won gold.
It’s not. It’s not the person who won silver, either.
It’s the person who won bronze.
Third place? Well, they know it wasn’t a fluke that they didn’t win. There is that “second place” guy who pops that illusion bubble. But they made it to the big show, and, heck, they’re third. Not bad!
Bronze is the Libertarian Party of medals.
The person who wins silver is usually very, very unhappy. Why? Every minute of the day they have to wonder:
- What if I had worked just a little harder each day?
- What if I had listened to my coach?
- What if I hadn’t spent the night before the Olympic© finals at the strip club drinking tequila shooters with Crystal and Svetlana?
Little things like that begin to nag at them. Plus they get Brady Cake:
Tom Brady is so old . . . he won his first Super Bowl® while the world was still in Standard Definition.
So, gold medal winners should be happy, right?
Some really aren’t happy. They’ve climbed the mountain. They’ve spent, in some cases, tens of thousands of hours in practice at the highest level. They’ve skipped going to parties when others were having fun. They lived, in some cases, like monks to climb to the greatest levels of human performance.
Some of them get there and ask . . .
- Is this all there is?
Those folks who ask that question were working for the wrong purpose. Their idea wasn’t to be the World PEZ® Flicking Champion, it was someone else’s idea.
So they went with it.
Don’t say this three times fast.
You can see those folks, especially a few years after the Olympics®. They’re the ones that are on the third DUI or are the 4’6” gymnast that looks like they’ve swallowed a refrigerator. Which, I will say, does make tumbling easier. If you call rolling “tumbling.” Meghan McCain does, especially if it’s toward a buffet.
So, what about those people who win a gold medal and are just fine? What’s different?
They have purpose. Their sport was only a part of their purpose, and was only a part of what drove them. They are centered, and the biggest part of their purpose isn’t achievement. Achievement is a byproduct.
The folks who win and don’t self-destruct have a purpose, and a purpose rooted in virtue.
To be clear, very, very, very clear:
- Virtue does not guarantee victory. At all.
Virtue (and a purpose rooted in virtue) just makes victory bearable.
Why do so many early twentysomethings mentally implode when they achieve fame and stardom and immense wealth? That’s an easy question – they find themselves in a world with no real restraints. The real question is why don’t more starlets become headlines? I’m pretty sure Miley Cyrus isn’t in a good mental place.
In Europe, she’s known as Kilometery Cyrus.
In one respect, not being wealthy and famous is a great substitute for willpower: you can’t end up dead in a hotel room in Thailand surrounded by heroin, empty take-out boxes of food, bottles of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum, and vats of industrial-strength skin cream if you have to get to your steady job.
A mortgage and car payments have probably saved a lot of dads uncomfortable phone calls from the Italian Government as to why their 22-year-old was found “improving” the Sistine Chapel painting. Thankfully, back then they charged the fines in something called “lira”, which is just like money but is instead made of colorful Christmas wrapping paper.
An aside, things to trust Italians on:
- Food.
- Wine.
- Car body design.
Things not to trust Italians on:
- Anything you need tomorrow.
- Anything electronic or electric.
- Anything where the oil or engine coolant is supposed to stay on the inside.
- Anything remotely resembling fiscal discipline.
Italians are great at soccer – you change sides halfway through.
And, apparently, never trust John Wilder to wander off on a tangent on a Friday post. I’ll get back to virtue and purpose, and promise not to wander too far again this post.
I’ve written several posts about Virtue. It’s been a common theme. Here are a few:
Kardashians, Hairy Bikinis, Elvis, Wealth, and Virtue
Roman Virtues and Western Civilization, Complete with Monty Python
Ben Franklin and his Thirteen Virtues
Why Character Just Might Be A Better Indicator Of Marriage Stability Than What Her Butt Looks Like
Regrets? Don’t Regret Anything, Unless You Want Me To Slap You When You Are Old.
So, have a purpose. Live your virtue. And when you have high achievement, when you win the gold, when you achieve amazing business success? You’re ready to deal with it.
I’ve heard of a village in Africa where they’re dealing with a drought and thirst. I hope they “Get Well Soon.”
But let’s say that you don’t win the gold. You don’t have amazing business success. Virtue allows you to be ready to deal with that, too.
Or you could just win a bronze medal and have a mortgage?
Nah, go for the virtue. You’ll eventually pay the mortgage off.
Agree with the missive’s discussion regarding virtue, objectives, goal achievement and ultimately life satisfaction.
But c’mon Wilder: “An aside, things to trust Italians on:” Whatta you mean?
Only the best quality and most stylish apparel (uniforms!); musicians; museums, painters; boots, shoes, sandals; history & culture, and never forget La Dolce Vita among a whole bunch more.
Viva Italia!
And the Mafia! And Cicero! And concrete!
And Ducatis
See… Us canukistaners were onto something here when at one of the winter Olympics the announcer stated, about a canistan athlete that “Forth is good”. We nailed it… and are happy about it…
…“Forth is good” … Somewhere in the bible it says “The Lord told him to come forth”, but it’s rumoured he tripped and came fifth.
Have a friend in Charlotte who joined a gym around 2003. He participated in the 45+ bench press competition. He came into the Sundries wearing a silver medal. “Hey John, great!” Another said (knowing him better), “How many in your class?”
“Two”, he replied.
First place downside is a lot like post-partum depression.
There have been a few backup quarterbacks in the NFL who enjoyed long careers, playing every so often for a couple of games after the #1 guy got banged up. But it takes a special personality to do well in that role, and few guys do it well. Gary Kubiak was a model backup for the Denver Broncos for a long time; not flashy, but dependable, capable, and just the kind of guy to hold things together while being a great role model. Can’t say I ever knew much about 3rd string quarterbacks, though most teams had one. Not that I care about the NFL anymore.