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A very real part of the success equation in competition is mental.
"Winners never quit and quitters never win." - Vince Lombardi
Winners don't make excuses.
It doesn't matter how talented you are, or how talented others believe you to be, if you can't handle the mental stress of competing at whatever level you are at, then you'll quit. When you quit, the other guy wins. And do you really think the winner feels any sorrow for the quitter that made excuses?
Pfft. Nope. The winner accepts their glory because they didn't quit. If the winner vanquished someone that had more talent, the victory is that much sweeter.
One hundred years from now, nobody will be looking at the pictures of the winners on the dais and asking where the quitter is. The quitter won't be remembered. Nor should they be remembered.
There is no honor in quitting.
The world is full of unrewarded talent. Not because the playing field is unfair - it is ALWAYS unfair - but because people quit. We often hear critics, fans, and coaches say the quitter didn't have the heart to compete. We all know it's much more likely they didn't have the cognitive capacity to handle the mental stress from competing.
There are no participation trophies in real life.
Give me a Jesse Owens over a quitter, any day.
Here is Jesse Owens, surrounded by actual Nazis, saluting the American flag in 1936.
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