This essay is a motivational/inspirational piece on "winning in life". It can be used as a speech or as an essay for class submission.

"If at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again," is a saying I have said to myself since elementary school. One of my most cherished assumptions is that all goals are reachable if you work hard to achieve them. I believe with dedication and faith, any person can accomplish what they set out to do in life and become a winner.

Throughout history there were many people we considered winners, who, in fact, lost many times in their lives. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "no good ideas." Even though he hit 714 home runs, Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times. Thomas Edison performed more than 1,100 unsuccessful experiments before inventing the light bulb. He said, "I found out 1,100 ways how not to do things." Even the great racing horse Secretariat lost his first race.

I can remember a time when I so desperately wanted to win, but I didn't. My sixth grade class was having a spelling bee. Every student had to stand at the front of the room with his or her own mini chalkboard. When Mr. Coon, my teacher, said a word, everyone had to spell it on his or her chalkboard at the same time. If you misspelled the word, you were forced to sit down at your desk and keep quiet.

At first I did not see the enjoyment in the exercise. In fact, I can distinctly remember drawing dinosaurs on my chalkboard while my teacher explained the rules of the spelling bee. It wasn't until I heard the words "McDonald's Extra Value Meal" that I looked up and saw the bright yellow McDonald's Extra Value Meal certificate that would be given to the winner. In sixth grade, it was cool to be eating a Big Mac and not a Happy Meal. The spelling bee that was about to start all of a sudden became important to me. My hand was ready to spell out any word that came out of my teacher's mouth.

I ended up becoming a spelling machine! My teacher kept putting up new words, and I kept knocking them down. I wanted the McDonald's Extra Value Meal and I was going to get it if it killed me. My teacher had given us more than 20 words and I had spelled every one of them correctly. The problem was, so had someone else. Chelsea was her name. She was all that stood between my McDonald's Extra Value Meal and me.

With only one person left to beat, I could practically guarantee the victory. As Chelsea and I stood ready and waiting, Mr. Coon gave us the final word: extravaganza. I knew this one! The McDonald's Extra Value Meal was mine for sure, or so I thought it was! E-X-T-R-A-dot, dot, dot...and that was as far as I got on my chalkboard. I didn't know the rest of the word! I sounded it out as best I could, but still failed to put the letters together. I lost the spelling bee and Chelsea won the McDonald's Extra Value Meal.

That day I was devastated. I felt like I'd failed. But looking back, I realize that I didn't really lose. I went into that spelling bee with everything I had, but I didn't win. However, life's a lot like that. It's not really about whether you win or lose, succeed or fail, but it's about how you approach any situation and see yourself as a winner.

Maintaining a positive attitude is key to life, but it definitely is not always easy. Perhaps it's failing a test so completely that you want to quit the class; but instead you study twice as hard because you are determined to do better next time. How about losing a basketball game because you miss two free throws in the final seconds, but you still want the ball in your hands because you know you can make your shot the next time. No matter what happens in our lives, we can't afford to let our failures get us down.

Michael Jordan once said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." When we all leave to go out into the real world, to work, or to school, or whatever it may be, we are going to face many challenges and changes. We have a choice each day about how we are going to approach life: we can choose to avoid difficult situations and give up when the going gets tough, or we can face life with a positive attitude and see ourselves as winners because we gave it our best shot.

A special plaque hangs on the wall in my room at home. Whenever I read it, it's clear to me how I want to approach life. I hope it inspires you as well. The author of the plaque's poem is unknown, but the title is "A Winner's Creed":

If you think you are beaten, you are;

If you think you dare not, you don't;

If you'd like to win, but think you can't,

It's almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost;

For out in the world we find

Success begins with a person's will.

It's all in the state of mind.

Life's battles don't always go

To the stronger or faster hand;

But sooner or later

The person who wins

Is the one who thinks, "I CAN!"

"A Winner's Creed" reinforces my assumption that any person can achieve the goals they set out for themselves with hard work, dedication, and determination. Nothing could make me revise my understanding of this cherished assumption. Success is a journey, not a destination. In my mind, it's up to the individual to decide how far they will go in their journey to achieve their dreams.