The Secret to Winning: Focus on the Race, Not the Record

Question and Thought for the Day February 11, 2025

Thought of the Day: You win a track meet by running faster than the other runners, not by breaking the world record.

—

There’s something freeing about realizing that success doesn’t always mean shattering records or making history. Sometimes, winning is just about being a little bit better, a little bit faster, a little bit sharper than the competition.

We’re fed this idea that greatness is about doing things no one has ever done before—setting impossible standards and then somehow, against all odds, exceeding them. But the truth? You don’t have to be the best in history. You just have to be the best in the moment.

The person who wins the race doesn’t need to be the fastest runner to ever live. They just need to cross the finish line before everyone else. And in life, that’s often the case, too.

Think about job interviews, sales, relationships, creative projects—most of the time, success isn’t about reinventing the wheel. It’s about doing something just a little bit better than the next person. A little more effort, a little more consistency, a little more attention to detail. That’s what separates winners from everyone else.

The key is to run your race. Don’t waste energy trying to beat an impossible standard or comparing yourself to some idealized version of success. Instead, focus on what’s directly in front of you. Who’s in the lane next to you? What small edge can you gain?

And here’s the best part: if you keep winning your races—one after another, stacking up those small victories—you might just wake up one day and realize you did break a record after all.

Question of the Day: What’s something you enjoy so much you could do it all day?

Maybe it’s writing, playing music, coding, painting, coaching, or running (literally). The things we can lose ourselves in for hours usually hold the key to where we do our best work. What’s yours?