In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first one to set foot in space. Then in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to travel on the moon. We all know the pioneers, the so-called trailblazers, but how about the second people to go there? This only tells us that you’re basically the last if you are not the first.
However, there’s actually a hidden value in not being first. In this article, we will talk about how you could benefit from not being the frontrunner and how being in third place is actually better than being in second.
There are only losers and winners in a competition. There’s no such thing as being in between. It’s not a zero-sum game. In order for someone to win, another has to lose.
One great example of a zero-sum game is poker. Just so one player can take hold of the chips, one has to lose their chips. The number of gained chips is equal to the sum of the losses that they cancel each other out.
Life isn’t a game of poker, though. Yet, people still approach it with the same mentality, thinking that someone has to lose for you to win. The only person you should be competing against is yourself, you can’t win and lose at the same time.
The Problem of Being the Second
One huge problem of being second is that they are so close to winning. There’s this thought that lingers that if you have just done a bit more, or if you just started a bit sooner, you could’ve been in the first place. Being so close to the first but still not making it to the cut is the worst place to be.
A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology discovered a strange phenomenon among players who won a medal in the Olympics. They found out that those who have won the second place (silver medal) aren’t as grateful as those who have won the third place (bronze medal). They coined this phenomenon less-is-better effect.
Here’s a short story.
Jamie Henthorn is an athlete who was born with incredible genetics from his athlete parents. His father was a 100-meter champion in college, and her mother broke her school’s high job record, representing Scotland at multiple events. The genetic odds of his parents were all stacked in Jaimie’s favor.
During his senior years, he begins competing in athletics, dominating every athletic event. He was extremely fast to the point that no one even bothered catching up with him.
After consistent winning, the fruit of his labor for years was not in vain, and he was chosen to represent the United Kingdom at the European Athletics Junior Championships. His win was almost inevitable, but not until the final event.
During the finals, a vigorous foe appeared in the name of Dyawne Chambers. The competition was nip and tuck, fighting for the first place without caring about the person behind them.
Both Dwain and Jamie arrived at the finish line at the same time, so the jury had to look at the photo just to sort out the winner. Dwain won and became the fastest sprinter in European history. The third placer, Angelos Pavlakis, has now become the fastest Greek sprinter. On the other hand, Jamie had vanished after his loss. Unfortunately, he quit.
The less-is-better effect isn’t limited to Olympic athletes. In fact, it often shows in other contexts as well, for instance, in buying ice cream, shopping, and gift-giving. In the case of giving, a person generally receives a bigger smile from someone by gifting them a scarf worth $45 than if you give them a coat worth $55.
Why Being Third Places is Better
Greatness can only be achieved with a winner’s mentality. Of course, let’s say you are planning to open up a coffee shop. Would you want to sell the third best coffee in town? You would definitely go for the best!
However, the problem is: that people tend to center their attention more on beating others instead of equipping and sharpening themselves. They are more focused on needing other people to lose without understanding that there’s enough cake for everyone to eat.
Statistically, being in the third-place isn’t in any way better than being the first. However, since people in the third-place have extreme gratitude because they barely made the cut— they think that being part of the top is more than enough than winning nothing.
Strive to always enjoy whatever you are doing without feeling the need for competition. If being number one is your only goal, you will only end up getting pressured while obliging yourself to conform to extreme winning conditions that may not be bona fide. You will eventually be too frustrated enough for you to quit.
Think about overweight individuals who are trying to lose weight. Think about overweight individuals who are trying to lose weight. Most of them are working hard to get fats out of their bodies, but they are not willing to live a healthy lifestyle. They barely recognize how they are sabotaging themselves by having poor diet and exercise choices in a world record time.
If you want to win, avoid setting yourself unrealistic standards that aren’t possible to achieve and sustain. Improve yourself to be on the top of the chain instead of knuckling down and beating everyone else.
Comparing Up vs. Comparing Down
People who can’t appreciate their win because they are not in the first place are chained in a dreary comparing-up cycle. On the other hand, people that are ecstatic to be among the top because they made it by the skin of one’s teeth are those who compare down.
Both comparing up and comparing down teach us a very valuable lesson. Comparing up often shows us how life would look if we got things right while comparing down gives us gratitude and humility to remain our foot on the ground. You need a healthy mixture of both. Otherwise, you will be miserable.
Basically, being in the third place is a race against everyone but promotes the ambition to strive more after having the taste of being on the podium. On the flip side, being the second player means you have won against almost everybody except for one person.
What’s more rewarding comparing the two? It’s winning against everybody. In a sport called Judo, players fight for the third place longer and harder than the second place. A professor from Standford University said, “Silver medalists see themselves as first losers, while bronze medalists see themselves as last winners.”
