You’ve got to be in it to win it

“You’ve go to be in it to win it.”

I used to disregard this saying. In fact it kind of irritated me. It felt like rewarding poor achievements.

Over the last few years I have put myself in competitive situations as a newbie in Taekwondo and now in archery. In my youth I used to attend gymkhanas with my pony but since then I had not put myself in competitive situations in the same way. The opportunities hadn’t presented themselves in the martial art I had trained in and secretly I was happy to stay comfortably invisible, competing only against those I knew.

I realised there was also a quiet part of me that wondered what it was like to compete. So as I have been growing in following my curiosities, I decided this was something I should explore.

I started a new martial art and the first time I fought I was scared for weeks beforehand. Even though I was an experienced martial artist, this new style and approach left me feeling like a complete newbie. I was embarrassed to confess I had any experience at all given my level of performance.

I came away with medals because the category I was fighting in was so small. There were times when there were just a few of us so it was impossible not to placed in the top 3. I was awarded for just turning up.

Because of that I disregarded those awards as worthless. I told myself I wasn’t winning them. I wasn’t good. I was just there.

Since moving areas I have returned to Wing Chun, my original martial art and continued with archery. I have started attending archery competitions and at the moment my scores are not remarkable. However becoming comfortable in competitions is a useful skill. As I improve I do not want the environment itself to be an additional stress that affects my performance.

At my most recent competition I was amazed to be awarded a county level gold medal for my efforts.

Why?

Because I was the only one in my category — women aged 50 plus.

So why am I talking about this in my blog?

Because this time something shifted in me.

This time I realised “I was the only one there!”

In both places I was a rarity. It made me wonder, where are all the other 50 plus women? What are they doing to stretch themselves?

I have heard it said that if we are not growing we are dying. Did you know that the growth hormone that is released through exercise has many benefits including increased muscle mass, enhanced fat breakdown, improved bone density and boosted immunity?

Who doesn’t want some of that?

And beyond the biology there is something else. There is courage. There is confidence. There is the quiet pride of doing something that stretches you.

This time I felt proud of that medal.

Not because I beat lots of people.

But because I showed up.

Your Turn

Where are you not showing up but have a secret curiosity about?

What if that curiosity is leading you towards something awesome?

I got to receive a gold medal and celebrate with my archery community.

What could be better than that?

Well… watch this space.