American author and journalist, Christopher McDougall, once wrote, “Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle ... when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.”

To some people, second place is okay. It’s respectable, it’s good, it’s acceptable … but to a true winner, star, or champion, they see second place as losing. (I can assure you the gazelle, in the passage above, doesn't want to come in second.) The great golfer, Walter Hagen said, “No one remembers who came in second.” He makes an excellent point. Roger Bannister was the first person to ever run a sub-four minute mile. Do you know who did it the second time – I sure don’t. Neil Armstrong was the first man to walk on the moon. Do you remember who did it right after him? Most people don’t. (It was Buzz Aldrin) A total of twelve astronauts have walked on the moon and who do we remember … the one who did it first.

American business consultant, author, and lecturer on the subject of company sustainability and growth, Jim Collins, wrote in his best-selling book, Good to Great, the following passage: “Good is the enemy of great. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life.” Unrivaled, unbeaten, top dog, the greatest, par excellence, five-star, top-of-the-line are just a few of the words used to describe the BEST-of-the-BEST. I can’t say that I can ever remember any coach, teacher or mentor telling me to shoot for #2. The only person who remembers who comes in second, is the person who came in second.