April 7, 2009

Losers Never Win, or Do They?   "The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat," said the announcer of yesteryear's television program, Wide World of Sports.    Your victories have been thrilling, haven't they?  Who can deny the thrill of winning, accepting the award, and taking in all the accolades? And, don't forget those quiet victories that no one notices but you - the pride you have in your accomplishments, the struggles you have surmounted on your way to victory, and your perseverance.    Yet, what about your defeats and your agonies?  You've lived through those also, haven't you?   I'm not about to minimize the agony that often comes with defeat, yet what is it about defeat that can make you a winner?  "If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost," said Zig Ziglar.  That's right.  Every defeat holds an important learning opportunity.   That is the opportunity to take what has happened to you and turn it around to your advantage.  What new understanding and wisdom can you take forward?  What have you learned about yourself that can make you stronger and give you greater resolve?  How can you reframe your defeat into a building block which leads to a victory?  What new choices can you make?   Defeat is a powerful teacher.  Yet it can only teach and make you stronger if you own the defeat and take responsibility for your actions, determine what you could have done differently and what you can take differently into your journey from this day forward.  It's asking the tough questions above.  It's changing your behavior and thoughts for next time.   And the next time, you just might succeed beyond your wildest expectations!  All because you experienced the agony of defeat.   You will be a loser who has won.     "That's what learning is, after all; not whether we lose the game, but how we lose and how we've changed because of it and what we take away from it that we never had before, to apply to other games.  Losing, in a curious way, is winning."             Richard Bach   "Winning is great, sure, but if you are really going to do something in life, the secret is learning how to lose.  Nobody goes undefeated all the time.  If you can pick up after a crushing defeat, and go on to win again, you are going to be a champion someday."             Wilma Rudolph   "Strength does not come from winning.  Your struggles develop your strengths.  When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength."             Gandhi   "Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner.  Even if you are behind, a sustained look of control and confidence can give you a mental edge that results in victory."             Arthur Ashe     There was a winner at the Honda Grand Prix ofSt. Petersburgon Sunday.  John and I and our daughter Valerie took advantage of the beautiful sunny day in theTampaarea to head down to the festivities.  What a treat!  We wandered into an area (that I think you needed a pass to enter) and had the opportunity to see up-close and personal the race cars, a few of the drivers, and the pit crews putting the final touches on the cars. Then we watched as the cars were moved to the racetrack. Walking back to our spot we waved to the drivers as they circled the track in Honda exhibition cars, pre-race.  Danica Patrick and Dario Franchitti, (two names I knew) were among the racers.   We only stayed for a few laps of the race because we had to catch our flight back toSt. Louis, but we'll make plans to take in the entire race next year. I'm becoming a fan - speed, risk, noise, crashes, drive, focus, strategy all rolled into one.  Action with a capital A.   The day got me thinking about racing to the finish line and winners and losers.  The winner gets the accolades and the losers regroup for next time while remaining winners in their own right.      Have a fantastic week and win or lose, you're still a winner.   Stephanie   P.S.  80 degrees inFloridaand 40 degrees here at home.  Bummer.      We grow by "word-of-email" so please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone whom you think might benefit from and enjoy it. Thanks so much! Contact Us: stephanie@7steps2abalancedlife.com