What is it that Makes us American ?

As American's we have enjoyed a wonderfull run. We have made our mistakes of course but for the most part we have stayed the course.

Many, many countries around the world have and continue to look up to us for guidance even when we occasionally stumble, pick ourselves up and dust off. In our darkest hours they still look to us and hope to become us.

What is it then about the American spirit that causes so many to look to us? Among many, many things it is our sense of fair play. The spirit that pushes up to not only do better but to be the best at everything we do. Our lives are constantly filled with this competitive drive.

Some times we lose and some times we win. We teach our children that even with the loss there is much to be gained. Each and every loss should inspire you to do better next time. This is what drives us and inspires us.

As an active real estate agent for more than 20 years the dynamic plays out over and over again in my career. With the listing presentations I give, the new Buyer client's that I meet and the properties that I see hoping to match them with an active Buyer. On and on it goes. I don't get every listing that I give a presentation to nor do I sell a house to every potential Buyer that I meet.

I do give it my best shot though every time out. And for those efforts that I am not successful in I thank them kindly for the opportunity, I pick my self up dust off and do it again and again.

In the last decade or so I have seen a change though in this very American dynamic. In our past struggles we have admired, congratulated the winner and vowed to win next time, picking up and dusting off ourselves in eager anticipation of our next challenge. We now see more envy and or down right disdain for the winners. It has become common place it seems to disparage the winners rather than congratulate them. In fact many have taken it so far as to create vast campaings to marginalize the winners. This is not good for us or for our country.

We can not all be winners every time yet some feel as if when they do not win it is not because of their short comings, it must be because others are some how misguided. Fueled by this thought process rather than picking up and dusting off many of these losers spend their time trashing the winner. Instead of moving on to the next challenge or learning through their loss there are those who choose to simply live in disbelief of their loss and try to convince others through their attacks on the winner that some how they were right and the majority was wrong.

No bigger arena for this current struggle exists than that of the world of Politics. In my life as I look back through all of the Political challenges, I think of those I supported both the winners and the losers. I remember fondly of how both those who won and those who lost demonstrated to us what it is to be American. The losers picked themselves up dusted off and congratulated the Winner. The Winners took time out to reach out to the loser and congratulate them on a battle well fought.

It is time we once again begin showing the world and ourselves what it is to be American. We should not trash the winner nor should we spend our time trying to convince others that some how our loss was a fluke.

Pick yourself up, dust off and congratulate the winner. We are Americans, shouldn't we begin acting like it?