Gratitude Post - March 15, 2023

I'm grateful for not winning!

Any time you don't win something that you had been in the running for it's a disappointing experience, but not winning is also an invitation in three parts: an invitation to try again, an invitation to reassess, and an invitation to do better.

Whenever I don't win, or in other words I lose, I've learned that I tend to have one of two reactions.  I either feel dejected, down on myself, and begin to question why I even thought that I could win in the first place, or I feel motivated to try again, and to try a little harder the next time.  It's my choice whether I allow the situation to beat myself up or motivate me, and invite me to try again.

Losing, or not winning, is usually a result of a number of factors.  For example, it could be entirely based on your opponent just being better than you.  But it could also be because you didn't practice hard or long enough, or maybe you made a wrong decision in the heat of the moment that triggered a downhill spiral that ultimately led to the loss.  In either case there is the invitation to reassess your strategy, your opponent, and your preparation.

Ultimately, not winning opens the door for improvement.

So, despite the disappointment of the experience, of not winning, there's a reversed expectation hidden within a lose that can motivate an individual as they move forward to try again, to reassess, and ultimately to improve.  Which begs the question, did you really not win?