I once had the occasion to see Zig Ziglar speak to 12,000 people at the Anaheim Pond. At an intermission, he drew my business card out of a big barrel of cards – which entitled me to win books and tapes (at that time) for a half dozen of his programs. I went on stage to shake his hand, and I got to see how fun it is to stand in front of 11,999 people.
He said that the primary motivator for human beings is victory – not winning over someone else, but personal victory. Being victorious in this sense means manifesting a result that is consistent with your core values. Joy and delight were primary among the core values that I felt in that moment – and he was right: it felt like victory.
How do you define victory? Has the concept of victory engaged competitiveness for you in the past? If so, it may not be pure victory. In fact, a focus on competition may miss the point of victory altogether. What is the distinction between winning and victory? There is no struggle in victory.