The Great Competitor
We share 3 traits of “The Great Competitor” from the powerful poem written by one of our favorite sports poets, Grantland Rice.
Click the player to listen to this episode of The BIGG Success Show Podcast. Below is a summary of our discussion.
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The late Grantland Rice enjoyed an incredible career, eventually becoming known as the Dean of American Sportswriters. He knew all the great athletes and coaches of his era – Knute Rockne, Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Red Grange and more. He also had a penchant for poetry, including this one – the most powerful poem we’ve ever read …
The Great Competitor
By Grantland Rice
Beyond the winning and the goal,
beyond the glory and the fame,
He feels the flame within his soul,
born of the spirit of the game,
And where the barriers may wait,
built up by the opposing Gods,
He finds a thrill in bucking fate
and riding down the endless odds.
Where others wither in the fire
or fall below some raw mishap,
Where others lag behind or tire
and break beneath the handicap,
He finds a new and deeper thrill
to take him on the uphill spin,
Because the test is greater still,
and something he can revel in.
From the poem, let’s go to the Professor’s Whiteboard for: 3 traits of The Great Competitor.
Trait #1 – Great competitors have a burning desire
Beyond the winning and the goal,
beyond the glory and the fame,
He feels the flame within his soul,
born of the spirit of the game,
For a great competitor, competition goes beyond the winning, goal achievement, fame, or fortune. It’s all about how you can improve your body, mind, soul, and spirit as you compete.
Trait #2 – Great competitors are relentless fighters
And where the barriers may wait,
built up by the opposing Gods,
He finds a thrill in bucking fate
and riding down the endless odds.
Where others wither in the fire
or fall below some raw mishap,
Where others lag behind or tire
and break beneath the handicap,
What do you do if you get knocked down seven times? Get up eight!
What do you do if you get knocked down again? Get up again.
A great competitor won’t go down until he or she has expended every ounce of energy and effort they can possibly muster. And then they’ll try once more. And be thrilled about it (See next trait.)
Trait #3 – Great competitors rise to the occasion
He finds a new and deeper thrill
to take him on the uphill spin,
Because the test is greater still,
and something he can revel in.
Great competitors find joy in struggles. Positive psychologists tell us that people who face adversity feel their life is more meaningful. Why? Because that’s where all the growth is, For most of us – who use our minds and not our bodies in our work – growth occurs at the outer edges of your knowledge base. You get outside what you know and you enter the territory of what you don’t know.
What we have here in this wonderful poem is a formula for BIGG Success:
(1) develop a burning desire for your work
(2) fight your way through all the odds
(3) be prepared to rise to the occasion
It won’t be easy. But that’s what separates a great competitor from the rest of the pack. Great competitors know it’s the thrill of a lifetime. And it leads to BIGG success!
George “The Professor” & Mary-Lynn
Co-Founders, BIGG Success
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