Losing is the best lesson on how to win.
By: Kip Teitsort
While I can give multiple reasons as to why this is a solid fact, I will use martial arts as an example.
If I only sought out training partners I was more skilled than, at the end of training, they take the lesson, not me.
Them getting to take the lesson and not me defeats the sole purpose of my training. Being perfectly honest, when I take the time, pay my dues and train, it is for ME to get better. While I will always be respectful and help any training partner while participating in class, I learn the most from losing.
You see, if I win, I simply chalk it up as a win and move on. There is no real second thoughts about it. This lack of replaying it in my mind does not afford me the opportunity to commit it (the training) to long term memory.
If I lose, now that is a whole different animal all together. I will replay the situation over and over in my head as to the why it happened and what I must do to prevent it from happening again. It is almost an ego thing, one where I keep asking myself “why” I lost. That is how I can store it as learned information.
So in losing, I get to be selfish and take the lesson. I am not saying I prefer losing over winning. I am simply stating I learn more from a loss than a win. If there is one piece of advice I can share with someone about training… it is to learn to take the lesson from losing. Find a school or academy that foster training partners that while they win, they are constantly sharing information along the way.
Seek out those who are better than you. When you lose at whatever it is, take the lesson.
