The advantage of success is that it brings a sense of security. But that also leaves a trap behind it. When standing at the top, people easily believe that they are on the right track, that simply repeating what they have done is enough. From there, change becomes unnecessary, even... annoying.
The Gold Medal of U22 Vietnam at the 33rd SEA Games is a worthy reward for a team that has overcome pressure, skepticism and even comparison with the past. But it cannot be considered an immutable standard, because if so, the medal will become the biggest obstacle for the next step.
Sports are a cruel world of complacency. Today is the champion, tomorrow you are the "study" opponent. Success does not automatically extend. It only gives you a higher starting point, and also puts a bigger burden on your shoulders.
Writer Arthur Brooks, who speaks a lot about happiness and career, once proposed the 10-year rule. The general idea is that after each decade, people should proactively change. Change the way you work, the way you learn, even the way you define success. Not because the old is wrong, but because it has fulfilled its historical mission.
It (rule) seems "dangerous" to those who are successful. Because change means risks. But if it does not change, the risk is even greater. That is the risk of being left behind, while you still believe that you are standing still in a safe position. Think about the current development of AI and see if it is right.
For U22 Vietnam or for anyone who is successful, it is time to ask new questions, new goals and new standards. The way of exercising and using people can be different. The way to evaluate success should also be different, higher and more difficult. If we only try to protect what we have achieved with old things, when we realize it, it may be too late.
Change is not a betrayal of the past. Development is not to deny success. That is the only way to succeed - in a sparkling form - without stopping you. Success should be a threshold, not a seat to sit on.
