Life Lesson from a Breakout Challenge - Winning isn't everything!

Although I was not raised to be utterly competitive, the circumstances that I came across in life embedded a spirit of competitiveness. Unfortunately, this might have come too far because it somehow developed into a curse that made me hate losing and care primarily on winning. 

Breakout - a simple loss but a huge one on ego!
Photo Source: Alberto Del Rosario

Just this day, me and my friends decided to test our deduction and detective skills by engaging into a Breakout Challenge, but before we get into that, I would like to share a confession with you. When I first heard about this Breakout, a challenge where you are given 45 minutes to use your wits to unlock your way out of a room, I arrogantly said to myself that I would definitely breakout when I try it out. I reminded myself that if I was able to land myself a latin honor and a CPA license, this challenge will be an easy peasy!

In a sudden twist of events, we just came as close as 50% in our first attempt to unlock the most difficult challenge in Breakout. This just viciously torn my heart and ego apart. I forced a smile as we went out, but deep inside I was crushed. I couldn't fathom what just happened, more specifically how we just lost and not even came out close to the end. Hence, as the day progressed, my spirit of competitiveness just mocked me of my failure (and to be honest, up to this time that I'm writing this). 

Winning may not be Everything

Fortunately, as I started rationalizing my loss, waves of comforting realizations suddenly came flowing in leading to a slight ease of the pain from my bruised ego. 

[1] Although winning is important, so is losing. 

Yeah yeah, of course winning is the more glorious one since it's given the glimmering limelight, but there is something glorious too in "not winning". Unlike in winning, there is pain in losing, and this is something we always mistaken as totally unpleasant. Well, truthfully speaking it is unpleasant, but not its entirety! (Wait, what are you telling Renz?) What I'm saying is that this pain when focused and accepted upon can be channeled into something motivational causing us to further improve ourselves and be better. 

However, I'm hypocrite to tell you that I prefer losing over winning, but what I can tell you is that although there may be no visual victory for the people who lose, there is within, but only when we learn how to accept and channel it. If we don't, that's the time we truly become losers.

[2] Things we learn in school may not exactly prove anything, or at the least, they are not everything. 

I've learned this lesson in a hard way, and I believe it was my lack of humility that really bruised my ego. With this, I realized that arrogance and pride just makes the ego more vulnerable.

[3] Games like this may sound like a waste of money, but they are not

I have to admit that the price we paid (i.e. P400 each person) seemed to be expensive. As an accountant, I understood that the price to be charged must cover the cost of the rental, materials used, overhead and profit; however, I thought it was too much.

Well, now, I just realized that not only did the P400 cover those stuff. It also covered something more worthy than those -- fun, entertainment, bonding and most specially realizations. With this in mind, I can say that the price is all worth it! I would even classify it as an investment in my book rather than an expense (although it may not be IFRS-compliant).

PS: I'm still not 100% over the loss we just had, but as I start focusing on the things I wrote it, I will eventually get over it. Perhaps, 2 days will do.