Our society is obsessed with winning. I see it all over social media: especially on LinkedIn, but what about the value of learning to lose?
My daughter has been throwing fits every time I beat her in Uno recently. It reminds me of when I used to cry every time I got knocked out in a game of Knock-Out Basketball in grade school. Every time! Until I was in 5th grade.
Why did I have such a hard time losing? Because my value as a person was tied to winning.
Fast forward to High School and I was a leader in a basketball program which won 3 games in 3 years. Losing as much as we did built so much character for me. It taught me to:
- Enjoy the journey
- Focus on improvement
- Stay persistent.
These three lessons helped me and my peers come together with the help of Eric Moore to commit to a summer of intense training. We were above .500 our senior year which felt like winning a championship to us. And through it all the most important lesson I learned is that my value as a person doesn’t come from wins and losses. My value is God given and no loss can take that away.
I hope this message reminds anyone who has been facing losses recently that your value as a person is unshakeable. Find joy in the journey, focus on improvement, and stay persistent my friend!
What’s a memorable lesson that losing has taught you?
-Stuart Gordon, Founder, Appointed to Lead