Life would be great if I were the best.
At anything really: golf, guitar, science or football. I realize, of course, that I am no Tiger Woods, Jimi Hendrix, Albert Einstein or Tom Brady. But I am competitive.I thought of being the best after I lost a tennis match last weekend, 6-4, 6-1. If you are unfamiliar with tennis scoring, the match was far from close.

I love to play sports and compete; it’s just my nature, and I strive to win at all costs. I’ll take bruises and broken bones; I’ll take hits and even make a fool of myself just to defeat the opposition.

I recall an ex-girlfriend rolling her eyes at me when I argued a debatable call in a backyard badminton tournament.

Looking back, I’m embarrassed by my overreaction, but in my defense, competition is in my blood. I can’t help but argue a call that would help me win.

When my tennis match last weekend was over, I was heartbroken. To me, losing a match is like receiving an “F” on a test after studying for hours. Trust me I would know, as I’ve had my share of both losses and bad grades.

As I hung my head, shocked at my mistakes, missed hits and bad judgments, I imagined being the greatest tennis player in the world. This sounds crazy, because for me tennis perfection is miles away. But after being convincingly outplayed, I didn’t hesitate to use my imagination.

The Australian Open, a major professional tennis tournament, happened to be on television just last week and visions of the world’s top players were still fresh in my mind.

I pictured myself playing against the number one ranked player in the world, Roger Federer. We were in the fifth and final set in front of thousands of fans, including my family and supermodel girlfriend.

I imagined the feeling of defeating Federer as succinctly as I was beaten last weekend.

I pictured myself winning over and over again.

And why not? Winning is fun. Whether you win a race, a match, a board game or a contest, everyone appreciates a victory every once in a while. There are times, though, when you realize that being the best puts you at a disadvantage.

When I was young, I used to be the fastest bike rider in the neighborhood. Within my little world, I was the best. Yet after this accomplishment, I didn’t have the motivation to become faster because there was nobody left to beat.

Eventually my neighborhood friends caught up to me and I was no longer the fastest. Because my friends had the motivation to beat somebody who was better then them, they surpassed me.

On Jan. 25, the third ranked tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, upset Federer to become number one.

Djokovic defeated Federer, the number one player in the world since Feb. 2, 2004, because he was motivated to beat someone better than himself. Now maybe Federer just had a bad game, but you have to wonder what the outcome would have been if Djokovic had been number one for years and Federer was hoping for the upset.

Although realizing this didn’t make me feel better about my loss, believe me I’ll never enjoy losing, it made me feel better about myself. It helped me to understand that not being the best just means you have room for improvement, room to grow and room in your stomach to keep you hungry for victory.
So next time you’re defeated, bettered or topped, don’t give up and only get a little angry; feel good about your effort and remember that even the best lose sometimes.