[Mahler]

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Mahler’s Monday Morning Motivator # 133 – Victory Dance


Victory Dance


Touchdown! And the crowd is on its feet. Let me rephrase that. Well, at least half the crowd is on its feet, depending on the venue. It’s a ritual that is repeated time and again in stadia all over the country from the local high school on Friday night to the domed shrines of sport on a Sunday afternoon. The guy carrying the ball crosses the magic line and suddenly he breaks into a dance. What the hell is that all about? He is saying, hey, I made a touchdown and I am happy as hell. Gee, you did your job, for which you are handsomely paid, but good for you. And, in truth, if he’s happy and feels like he’s accomplished something, why not?

But, as in everything, there are two sides to consider. As writer, Steve Badger, puts it, “it is not really that simple, because victory dances generally come in two forms: sincere celebrations upon a major accomplishment like winning a championship; and contrived, play-to-the-cameras acts that can bizarrely occur at absurdly trivial moments.” He likens it to a runner stopping at sixty yards in the hundred-yard dash, and celebrating because he is ahead at the moment. He goes on to say that we should, “focus on what really matters, genuine goals, and real victories. Don't distract yourself by celebrating pointless victories, especially those earned by luck.”

To my way of thinking, real victories do not have to be championships, but they do have to be things that matter, if only to us as individuals, and they should be celebrated, if only by us in solitary exultation. If we are joined in that moment of exultation by those around us who care and understand, then our victory dance is not for show, not a strut before the cameras, but an affirmation.

Victories are a funny thing. Sometimes we accomplish something pretty important and don’t even realize it. Writer, Vickie Milazzo has an interesting way of pointing this out. She and her husband were touring England and visited Stratford-on-Avon looking for the home of William Shakespeare. Here’s how she puts it. “We couldn't find anything that even resembled Shakespeare's homestead. Resting against a wall, we opened our water bottles and looked once more at our map. At my insistence (since husbands don't ask for directions), we stopped a passing pedestrian.

"Can you tell us how to find Shakespeare's home?" we asked.

The man had a glint in his eyes and light-heartedly replied, "Yes, you're leaning against it."
What they were seeking and what they found were two completely different things. The tourist attraction that they sought, turned out to be a simple, unassuming cottage, but important nonetheless.

She goes on to say, “How often have you reached a goal or passed a milestone without experiencing a single moment of enjoyment or satisfaction? Did you feel let down because reaching your goal wasn't as hard as you expected it to be? Or were you disillusioned because the accomplishment wasn't as spectacular as you had hoped?”

This is the real downside of the victory dance, not the moments when celebration is premature, inflated, or without cause, but for those many moments in our lives when we don’t even recognize that we, indeed, have something that is cause for celebration. In the grand scheme of things, our personal triumphs, our victories, may not seem to matter, and even pale next to the achievements of others. But, reaching a goal, passing a milestone, overcoming an obstacle, these are our victories. For personal victories are the fuel of our lives, that stokes the furnace of our desires. If we do not recognize the goal reached today, how can we find the enthusiasm to set new goals for tomorrow.

Find your goals, recognize your own achievements and do your victory dance. Go ahead, even if nobody is watching.

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Have a Great Week!

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