Counterfactual thinking.

Did you know that Bronze medalists generally feel better about their 3rd place finish than Silver medalists who came in 2nd place?

This phenomenon is called counterfactual thinking.

• Silver medalists often engage in upward counterfactuals — they think about how close they were to winning gold (“If only I’d been a fraction faster…”). This tends to create feelings of regret, frustration, and dissatisfaction.

• Bronze medalists, in contrast, more often engage in downward counterfactuals — they think about how they could have missed the podium entirely (“At least I got a medal!”). This tends to create feelings of relief and satisfaction.

(source: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1995)

Beating the 4th place guy is way more satisfying than not quite beating the 1st place guy, even though the 2nd place guy beat the 3rd place guy.

Life is full of silver-and-bronze moments. You can focus on what you almost had and feel regret… or you can focus on what you did get and feel grateful.

If you always win Gold, this doesn’t matter. But who always wins Gold? So, don’t dwell on what could have been.

Celebrate that you finished. That you tried.