Beyond the Trophy
If not a winner then a loser, but not always, there’s something in between as well.
Linda came running to her college with the straps of her bag slipping off every second, she ran as if her legs were on fire. Well, It’s D-DAY, the annual fashion design competition in her college. She had created beautiful dresses in these past 2 years, dreaming of that golden certificate. Yet, victory had always eluded her.
But this year, she had a different vision, she didn’t want to make it super shiny full of shimmer and glitter. Linda envisioned something simple, elegant, yet captivating.
She started sewing her dress, the milky white dress stitched with perfection, every single bead seeping in and adding to its grace.
The clock ticked down, leaving only two hours before the competition ended. She phoned up her junior, Lila the model for the dress. Lila came hurrying off and got into that tight dress. The beauty of the dress grew more as Lila walked with elegance while practising.
Cindy, the reigning champion, known for her heaven-made dress, scoffs at Linda’s dress. “What’s that supposed to be?” she sneered. “Looks like a pile of junk.” Snorting over the dress, she walks off as she spills her coffee and now it’s drenched in brown. Cindy and Ted laugh “ Oops, the white was just too much for my eyes”. Linda’s eyes welled a bit. She forced herself up “You are scared that you’d lose this time, aren’t you? ”
“Maybe, but my coffee already made me feel better”
The boiling coffee did not hurt Lila but of course, she was still sad for her senior.
Linda panicked and couldn’t let just a cup of dark brown coffee ruin her creation. The commotion had attracted curious onlookers. Witnessing the scene, a group of students stepped forward, offering their skills and ideas.
One girl changed all the feathers from white to brown, another sewed new brown beads, and a little brown fabric was put in place to make the stain look uniform.
They all together changed the whole dress into a better one, they weren’t competing –they were collaborating, bringing their unique touches to the dress.
The final judgment arrived, and the results were announced. Linda wasn’t the winner, but neither was Cindy.
Instead, a new category flashed on the board: “Collaboration Creation”. Together, Linda and her friends received the award and created a masterpiece.
Finally, standing with her newfound teammates, a different kind of warmth filled Linda. It wasn’t the victory, but the joy of shared creation, of building something beautiful together.
It was more than winning or losing, it was about the magic that unfolded in the space between.
I’m so excited to be starting this journey and sharing my thoughts with all of you! I hope this post inspires you, even if it's in a small way.
“Collaboration is the fuel that allows ordinary people to achieve extraordinary results.” — John C. Maxwell
