Awards and counterfactual thinking

The week ends on a happy note, as I got word I had stories win two Honorable Mention awards in the annual American Society of Journalists and Authors competition. My essay on Trickle-Up innovation for Fast Company, As the World Turns, was the runner-up for Outstanding Business & Technology Article, while a story I wrote for CIO, How Facebook and Twitter are Changing Data Privacy Rules, was runner-up for Outstanding Trade Article.
I should be thrilled. But I have won something in the ASJA competition three years running, so being runner-up feels like a letdown, even though I didn’t expect to win anything. I am suffering from ‘counterfactual thinking,’ which holds that I am comparing myself to whoever won first, rather than being happy I’m on the podium. I will try to flip this around and get some glow to bask in.