Who’s Responsible
Sports bars are the bane of my existence. But lately, I've noticed what I share in common with their customers. And chances are, you do too. Next time you're around after "The Big Game", notice the language people use.
When their team wins, they say:
We won.
We're undefeated.
We made a comeback.
I knew we'd pull through.
We're number one.
When their team loses, they say:
They fell apart.
They gave up too early.
They did their best.
They should have put "so-and-so" in.
It wasn't their night.
We share credit for a win, and pass blame for a failure.
A good example of this, comes from a video of basketball fans who left the court early, thinking their team lost. Only to find out moments later, their team made a comeback. Notice their language, before and after the fact. One fan even said - "They were down a little bit, but we showed resilience and we brought it back..." Making my case in just one sentence. Of course this doesn't apply to everyone, but it happens more than you'd think. Watch the video here, starting 23 seconds in.
So what? Why is this important? Well it seems to apply to our personal wins and losses, too. How we take responsibility for success, but not failures.
If we succeed:
It's because I was persistent.
It's because I didn't listen to the nay sayers.
it's because I worked harder than anyone else.
It's because I never gave up.
It's because I did it my way.
If we fail:
It's because of the economy.
It's because those people who backed out.
it's because there wasn't enough time.
It's because no one agreed.
It's because Mercury was in retrograde.
Most people want full credit, without any responsibility. That's why it's easy being a spectator, instead of getting on the court. Why there will always be more critics, instead of artists. Why most will follow, rather than lead. And why we desperately seek permission, because if it doesn't work out, then who's responsible?
Something to think about.
Yours truly,
Matthew Cooper
