Success and Resentment

Have you ever wondered why so many people resent success? I know the attitude that underlies this resentment, but there is no justification for it. Most successful people get where they are by not only outworking and outthinking everyone else, but also because they are willing to take the kind of risks that average people fear.

In fact, many of the people who resent success had many of the same opportunities to be successful, if not more. However, instead of looking in the mirror and admitting they were unwilling to do what it took to get there, they find it much more satisfying to try and bring others down. I have been watching this for many years and witnessed it again over the weekend.

This past Saturday, I spent 9 hours in a high school gym watching my daughter Emily, and her team, The Bouncing Bulldogs, compete in the Region II Jump Rope Championships. The top four finishers in their age group, in each event (11 of them), qualify for the national championships, held at the end of June in Orlando.

Emily competed in all eleven events and I’m very proud to say that she won the gold medal in eight events, the bronze medal in one and a 5^th place ribbon in another. In fact, based on total points the Bouncing Bulldogs as a team, won the regional championships for the 15^th straight year. The Bulldogs have won the national championship for the last three years running and make up the majority of the US National Team that has dominated the world championships the last two times it was held. They are arguably the best jump rope team in the world.

What’s puzzling and very disturbing, though not surprising about their success, is the reaction of other teams and people, including those in charge of the sport! Instead of trying to duplicate their success; holding them up as role models; or promoting them as the face of the sport (for purposes of legitimizing the sport), the Bulldogs have been bad-mouthed and derided by other teams jealous of their success, yet far too lazy to try and duplicate it.

USA Jump Rope, the governing body of the sport (a sport that is desperate to get recognized as an Olympic sport) even changes the rules used in competition on a yearly basis, in order to try and derail the Bulldog express. Naturally, it hasn’t worked; the Bulldogs just work harder and keep winning. Duh!

At this past weekend’s regional championships, two teams who had been in our region in the past, switched regions this year because they complained that not enough of their kids were qualifying for Nationals. The other teams there were almost disdainful of the Bulldogs. One group of coaches and parents from another team wouldn’t even clap when kids from the Bulldogs were called up to receive their medals and ribbons. How pathetic is that?

The Bulldogs, like any successful group, outwork everybody. These kids are in the gym almost every single day. The older kids MENTOR the younger ones and make sure they pass down this culture of excellence. Are they doing anything that any other team couldn’t do? Of course not; they’re just doing what almost every other team is unwilling to do. But instead of looking in the mirror, taking responsibility and trying harder (much harder), these teams and the sorry adults who run them have the misguided notion that their failure is not so bad if they can tear down those who have succeeded.

I’ll guarantee if asked, every one of these other teams would want the same success as the Bulldogs, which tells us that people resent successful people mostly because they’re not one of them.

Bringing someone else down to legitimize your own failures does not make you more successful; it just makes you a bigger loser. I would much rather give it my all and fall a little short, than never give it a shot and knock those who do. How about you?