Someone recently told me, “You either hate to lose or love to win.”

I sat with that for a while. Eventually, I decided—I love to win. Losing isn’t great, but when I searched for evidence, I thought of my bedroom wall display of medals from races I’ve finished, Finisher Medals. They hang from a piece of driftwood I found on a beach in Hawaii. With a little Pinterest inspiration, I added nails across the face, perfect for hanging medals, even the ones every finisher receives.

With the wrong mindset, someone might say I have a display of losses. But that’s not how it lands on me. I see the time I spent training, the early mornings, the blisters, the bruised toenails, and the days I didn’t want to run—but did anyway. It was hard work. When I look at that display, I feel motivated.

As Michael Scott once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

But what if you hate to lose?
I didn’t want to assume emotions, so I asked around. Here’s what people told me:

• “While I always like to look back and learn something from losing, in the moment, losing feels like I wasted my time.”
• “It feels like a reverse rush of adrenaline, like your body gets doused in a wave of cold, ending in a pit in your stomach.”
• “It can feel disheartening. Like I’m not good enough at something. It can feel out of control, so I try to control being out of control.”

The truth? Losing stings.

But here’s the flip side: every loss means you showed up. You put your work out there. You took a shot. And that’s where growth—and sometimes glory—happens.

Maybe the win or the loss is simply a mindset.

Industry competitions aren’t just about trophies. They’re about visibility, credibility, and celebrating the incredible work you and your team do every day. Winning feels amazing, but even entering puts you in the game. It says, “We believe in what we’ve created.”

So, as we gear up for the Marketing Excellence Awards this May, I challenge you:
Shoot your shot. Run your race. Submit your nominations and share your best work.

Because whether you love to win or hate to lose, the only way to guarantee neither is to sit it out. And that’s not who we are as marketers for professional services.