Success is not about winning. It's about finishing

What does it really take to 'win'? In business, in sport, in life? Is it beating your competitors? Is it "outplay, outwit, out last"? Is it always finishing first?

Or is it something really else? Something far simpler?

Often I hear the word "success' equated to "winning", or coming first. But most of the time, life is not about coming first. It's across crossing the finishing line. It's about finishing what you started. Because if what you started was worth doing it when you imagined it'; when you prepared for it; when you trained for it; and when you got to the 'Starting Block', the isn't it worth finishing?

Every team player, competitor & athlete worth their salt doesn't give up when they didn't come first. Every venture created that succeeded was started by a person with just that same level of tenacity.

• Could you imagine Usain Bolt giving up after his the first big race that he didn’t win, and say "I didn't win; I got 'silver'. I'm never trying again"? No, he didn’t say that. Because if we did, most of the world wouldn’t know his name.
• Did Muhammad Ali give up when he got knocked down in his early fights? No, he got up. Again. And again. Time after time. He got back in the ring again and again.
• Did Steve Jobs give up when the Lisa bombed? When he got fired from Apple? No, he built Next, and Pixar.

Every successful person you've ever heard of (or haven't), in every field of endeavour you can imagine, has been through a similar  journey. It was hard before it became good. It was tough before it wasn’t. They came last before they came first. But those that went on to succeed always finished. Because in finishing, they learned. They learned about themselves, they learned how to do it better, they learned what they needed to overcome. They learned how to get up after they fell over and they learned that the only true competitor, or barrier, is really just ourselves.

Prior to 6th May, 1954, almost nobody believed that running the 4 minute mile could be done. Until Roger Bannister did it. And he didn't do it on his first attempt. But the fact that he believed he could, sustained him to preserve, not to beat the competition, but to strive to be his best. To cross the finishing line, and to try, again, and again. And again. To finish, until he was finished.

In the last 60 years the mile record has since been lowered by a further 17 seconds. I can imagine a time (possibly not in my life-time) where some-one will break the record for the three-minute mile, just because they can imagine it. I can also guarantee that it won't be me- I don't have that level of desire, vision or commitment for THAT goal. But someone does (or will), somewhere in the world.

So the only question is, not "can you come first", but can you "start"? Because if you can start, with the right training, focusing on getting better & with perseverance, you can finish. And if you can finish often enough, you can achieve the goal you set.

We win by starting, by creating, by imaging, by striving and persevering, and by learning. So are you ready to "win"?

"On your mark…?"

"To Your Success", Daniel

PS - if you want to know what getting to the "The Starting Block" wil really take for your great business idea - get connected- because I'll tell you next week.

If you like this post, comment on and share it, &  you might also enjoy other posts by Daniel Mumby such as

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About Daniel

Also traveling under the alias of 'That Startup Guy',  I am a co-founder of StartUp Foundation (The Startup Accelerator for Experienced Professionals).

My goal is to help you, by guiding you through the steps, and past the challenges and pitfalls, to turn that 'Great Idea' into reality, whether it's a business, service, product, or to disrupt an entire market.

And if you've got an experience about startup success (or failure), comment about it. If you've got a question, reach out to me via your preferred social media, or download my media/speakers kit. Other posts can be found here on Linkedin.